Hi guys! I wanted to know your opinions on fasting. I normally don't fast but I am always very curious about why others do. I want to know where my thinking is wrong, and feel free to criticize as that is the only way to truly grow as a person and live a better life.
It’s weird, this Ramadan, “not fasting” has been bothering me the most. I guess I am trying to analyze the reason behind it in depth. Islam is all about intentions and intentions are a tricky thing. They are so complicated. Most of us have been conditioned to think we believe in this religion since birth, to think that this is the absolute truth. We are human after all, our biology makes us vulnerable to conditioning. Everything we believe is somewhere someone else’s opinion. So where exactly is the true us in all of this? How do we know our opinion is truly our own? Human beings are very selfish creatures, which is only natural since survival is our primary instinct. Why do we fast? Out of fear? Do we do it because we are afraid of punishment. We all want heaven, is that it? There we only end up looking out for ourselves and feeding our inherent nature. Do we fast out of love? But how can we fast for love when a majority of us don’t even know what it is? Is love always obedience? We don’t even know who “we” are until we deconstruct ourselves completely. By doing that we are purifying our intentions, we are not only fighting the constructs fed to us since birth by society and our family, but also our human nature in itself. Even if we say it’s for god (we don't know what god is), how much of that is for our internal satisfaction that we get when we think we are pleasing “the most powerful” than actually for god. Say we get the intentions down, then the question is what is it that we are loving, that requires deconstructing the religion fully, how can you love something you don’t fully know or understand the depths of? Do it because god is merciful and great? We can call something greatness or mercy while someone else can argue that same thing to first of all be there because of god. God is the reason that humans are subjected to all of this. If we didn’t exist to begin with, we simply won’t have to go through all these vicissitudes. We wouldn’t have to worry about the day of judgment and go through suffering. We can then say that we should still look at the positives and thank god as a certain condition is not as bad as it could have been (since everything is relative). But do we just say that 80% because we are helpless and we don't have have much of an option, it's either that or be bitter and ungrateful about it, which causes unhappiness to no one but yourself. So it’s never black and white. Similarly, human emotions have so many selfish atoms in them that they are almost always corrupt in one way or another. How do we know it’s out of love and not out of the desperate attempts to find something concrete to hold onto in this world of uncertainty we have been thrown into. It’s all about intentions. If there is a god, I highly doubt it’s the fasts that count, but the intentions behind it. And purifying intentions takes years if not decades. So, I think to myself, why fast if my heart’s not fully and truly into that act of worship or true passion. I can only speak for myself as I don’t know anyone else’s intentions. But this is how I kind of feel. What do you guys think and what are your opinions? You don't have to reply, but I'd love to hear your opinions.
@Horus @RAMPAGE @Akheilos @Armstrong @Pakistanisage
, a decent step ahead. 
![MuZammiL Dr. s[1]n](/data/avatars/s/32/32258.jpg?1370382459){kind=avatar}
