Ramadan Kareem My People!

So, I haven't written in this blog in 3 years! Wowww. Qatar is a VASTLY different (and IMO, better) place than it was when I was blogging here regularly. My life and I are also VASTLY different from 2014. Take a look through to see what I USED to go through, then stick around to see what'll happen next, and maybe get filled in about whatever the heck was happening from 2015-2017!

As for right now, this is the blog that’ll probably guarantee my detainment at JFK this summer (or whenever I next decide to go back home). Kidding, not kidding. I don’t say that because I plan to write anything that should offend American sensibilities, but more so because I probably achieve that just by 1) living in a Muslim country, 2) having a unique and somewhat dissenting view of what I perceive is the general Western opinion about Islam, and 3) now deciding to practice a major Islamic tradition for a short period of time.

I can only assume that in the eyes of an American public that chose to be led for the next four years by a robber baron instead of a (deeply flawed, but) very qualified and capable politician pretty much because she was a woman (yea it is that simple), I’m probably a disgruntled black man they’ve chosen to have on a terror watch, a threat to convert. 

I’d just like to give advance notice to TSA and the watchers who give their orders, that the only thing I’d ever be a threat to covert to is a routine of yoga and Pilates from weightlifting and calisthenics. Carrying the weight of being a very real person seems to not agree with my joint and tendons.

This blog will simply be about my experience with practicing Ramadan for the first time in my nearly five years living in Qatar. For those who aren’t familiar, Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, is a time when Muslims purify the mind, body, and soul through an intense regimen of fasting and praying from sunrise to sunset, in an effort to be closer to God, empathize with those who are less fortunate, and discipline themselves to reach a more fulfilling state of spiritual existence.

Ok, so there's conflicting info out there
about just HOW strict you should be (no MUSIC??).

“Why would a non-Muslim choose to do such a thing?” you might ask. "It sounds hard." And it is hard. I see what my Muslim colleagues go through during the holy month. Fatigue. Hunger. Irritation. More fatigue, more hunger, more irritation. The reason I'm choosing to do this is right now, I’m going through some things, internally, that I can’t seem to affect by any means I’m already familiar with. Maybe I’ll delve deeper into this during the month, but I’ll reveal up front that family, finances, work, and health are in order, so no worries there. The fact that I still feel like I need major work should reveal more. 

Multiple times in my past, I’ve undertaken some sort of fasting routine when I was in need of evolution, so the opportunity to attempt this type of cleansing, with everyone and everything around me also in that mode, is very appealing to me. My environment has rarely been so complimentary to my personal need, and it’s up to me to really take advantage. My goal is to do a strict week – no food, drink, or sexual activity from sunrise to sunset - and then take it from there. Baby steps. But strict baby steps. Let’s commence.