Why is Ramadan Good for You?
To sustain the high you get after Ramadan is over, use prevention on the onset.
Why do we feel better during Ramadan? Is giving up eating and drinking during the day the sole cause for such positive feelings?
Perhaps, but there is probably more to it. Most people abstain from more than just food and water; they also stop following other desires, out of respect for the holly days. The effect of that is a calmer mind, and an abundance of time, that would have otherwise been wasted on such desires. In addition, the charitable powers of the month does increase one's sense of happiness: As research shows, people are happier when they feel they are helping others.
Abstaining from following desires, as it is performed during Ramadan, is unlike what we do any other time. We don't occasionally alter our behavior, we sustain that for a whole month. And we don't even do a little bit of it: we abstain completely, and that's key. But as the days pass after Ramadan, we slowly go back to our old habits, and it's not long before all of it comes back in fill swing.
One thing about desires is that we never attain satisfaction, no matter how much we get. One could start following their desires just a little, thinking there is no harm in that, but it seldom stops there. We easily justify to ourselves just a little bit more, and since that is not satisfying, we do a bit more, until we are finally back to where we started.
The goodness of Ramadan is that it makes us not even take the first step. And that's how we get all the benefits aforementioned. Once we take the first step, the occupation of time and mind has already taken place, and only a reset will bring the benefits back.
So, if you are not satisfied with a yearly reset, and wish to sustain more of the benefits, for a longer term, don't even take the first step. It will rarely be the only one.
Why do we feel better during Ramadan? Is giving up eating and drinking during the day the sole cause for such positive feelings?
Perhaps, but there is probably more to it. Most people abstain from more than just food and water; they also stop following other desires, out of respect for the holly days. The effect of that is a calmer mind, and an abundance of time, that would have otherwise been wasted on such desires. In addition, the charitable powers of the month does increase one's sense of happiness: As research shows, people are happier when they feel they are helping others.
Abstaining from following desires, as it is performed during Ramadan, is unlike what we do any other time. We don't occasionally alter our behavior, we sustain that for a whole month. And we don't even do a little bit of it: we abstain completely, and that's key. But as the days pass after Ramadan, we slowly go back to our old habits, and it's not long before all of it comes back in fill swing.
One thing about desires is that we never attain satisfaction, no matter how much we get. One could start following their desires just a little, thinking there is no harm in that, but it seldom stops there. We easily justify to ourselves just a little bit more, and since that is not satisfying, we do a bit more, until we are finally back to where we started.
The goodness of Ramadan is that it makes us not even take the first step. And that's how we get all the benefits aforementioned. Once we take the first step, the occupation of time and mind has already taken place, and only a reset will bring the benefits back.
So, if you are not satisfied with a yearly reset, and wish to sustain more of the benefits, for a longer term, don't even take the first step. It will rarely be the only one.
posted by Tarek Abdelmaguid at 8/06/2014 05:50:00 PM
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