Shrove Tuesday and Politics

Today is Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Pancake day, Paczki day, Mardi Gras.  This carnival day is not just a day to over indulge and be crazy and then forget.  It is the last day before Ash Wednesday, which, in the Christian calendar, marks the beginning of Lent, the penitential season.  Recalling the 40 days that Christ spent in the wilderness, Lent is a time when Christians traditionally undergo deep reflection and self-examination as they seek a closer relationship with God.  The gorging and partying of this day precedes the fasting, self-denial, and quietness of Lent.  This time of reflection and suffering ends with the joy of Easter.

What does this have to do with politics?  As far as the religious practices, nothing.  But there is a point to be made.  Actually, more than one.

First, the Carnival celebrations have a tradition behind them.  In a society that is becoming less and less religious, the underlying meaning becomes forgotten and this day (or now in many areas a week or more) becomes just a time for excess and indulgence.  It does not come with the 40 days of repentance and reflection.  That, I think, is a loss, regardless of whether one is religious or not.  There is something to be said for reflection about one’s self and one’s actions. 

Secondly, religious calendars are cyclical.  In many cases they compare to the cyclical nature of pre-religious celebrations related to the seasons, the harvest, etc.  These cyclical calendars remind us of our ties to something greater than ourselves.  The winter will come, but after it will come spring and then the harvest.  We may feel lost in life, but God is there, Jesus will be born and will rise.  These cyclical reminders give us hope, even in our darkest hours. 

Thirdly, religions give their practitioners a common language, a common set of traditions and values.  This helps the individuals to see others, even those with different political views, as a part of their “family.”  It helps to eliminate the hatred that many feel for people “different” from them, because they realize that in the end they share the important things in life – that they are indeed family.

These things are necessary not just to religious bodies.  These are some of the qualities that are necessary for a good society generally.  These important aspects of life need not necessarily be filled by a particular religion, or by any religion at all, but they do need to be filled by something.  Without self-reflection, without a belief in something greater than oneself, without a common language and an understanding that beyond differences in appearance or politics we all together make up humanity and that each deserves each other’s respect, without these things we cannot have a healthy or peaceful society.

Today, in many ways, our society seems to be one lacking in hope, lacking in self-reflection, and lacking in a belief in something greater than the everyday.  Many seem to be unable to get beyond the hatred of an opposing position in order to understand the humanity of the one holding that position.  Religious beliefs have always filled the hearts and souls of many, but religious practice and understanding is diminishing.  Without it, many seem to be lost or searching.  The voids they feel need not be filled by a particular religion, but they do need to be filled by something.   Without the hope of something greater, many are left in the hopelessness of a failing society, in despair, in a lack of respect for any human life, including their own.  Some look to material possessions or self-indulgence to perhaps fill their yearning, yet they remain empty.  Some look to the state to be their savior, and perhaps that causes them to be so unyielding in their positions of what is the role and duty of the state.  Some try out a series of quasi-religious practices or simply read and quote a series of feel good sayings and memes, but still don’t find the deep meaning that they seek.  Many believe they must move forward into the future and that means rejecting the many religions and traditions of the past.

In giving up traditions, many of which are indeed based in a religion, we are giving up more than just an old way of doing things.  We are giving up something than feeds our souls and our humanity and helps to keep the society in which we live both civil and productive.  Yes, we need to keep church and state separate, but we also need to keep what each gives us that is good.  So, that is what Shrove Tuesday has to do with politics.