Wow...The Science (and Philosophy) of Fasting

Mastication does the body good, according to an article in September 2007 Fitness (p.106):

Medical studies have found that chewing sugar-free gum for 20 minutes a day can:

-Help you burn 11 calories an hour which is equivalent to 11 pounds of body fat each year
-Help you suppress hunger
-Help blood flow to the brain, increasing your memory
-Help relieve stress...50% of study participants agree!
-Help neutralize plaque acids after eating, keeping cavities at bay

Right, fellow Alchemists, we all know that we need to power our bodies with energy, or calories, in order to stay focused, think clearly, be active, and productive. So why is it then that many religions require at least some time spent fasting, or abstaining from food--often for periods of 24 hours or more? How does that make sense to having a healthy and productive outlook?

There is no doubt that you begin to feel light-headed in the first twelve hours: your blood sugar begins to dip and you notice that you cannot stay on task or concentrate. In another five hours, the hunger pangs almost cease, your body resigning itself to the fact that you are not going to feed it yet, and it becomes more difficult to perform physical tasks; your balance, like your head, is not able to come into focus.

By the time you reach 24 full hours with no food, you are sapped of energy, though not completely, and you are almost used to the light-headedness. But you DO feel a survival urge, an instinctive push, to eat--not because you feel terribly hungry anymore, that fades away--but because your body is beginning to tap into your fat stores, and so, you are going into a physical minimalist state.

This is what science and medicine tells us, and it is true. Mentally, or spiritually (whatever you prefer), you begin to feel it much sooner--the "it" I refer to is that minimalism--or what Lacan called the Real. We're never really so in touch with the Real as when we strip ourselves of the essentials. Our body and mind--the two entagled like the sub-atomic particles in quantum mechanics--are one, indistinguishable from one another during such an entaglement, feeding each other, or, sapping each other's energy:

According to psycho-onocological studies, cancer patients who feel emotionally supported (and eat well and exercise, of course) live an average of six years longer than those who feel hopeless and helpless.

Stress, caused by an increase in emotional anxiety stemming from certain social situations such as employment, family or friends, releases cortisal into the body. In November 2006, the journal, Cancer Research reported that an increase in cortisal can nt only cause cancer, bu can help it to grow. Cortisal contains several compounds that both feed cancer cells, and help them to spread or metastasize.

Science is backing up what we already know: Your mind and your body affect each other, though seemingly indistinguishable--they are two separate entities in a virtual entaglement. Now, it's time for the philosophy.

Fasting is meant to give a human being the opportunity to grow--you are no longer restricted by your body's needs and can better immerse yourself in the needs of the mind, or, if you will, the spirit. During a fast, you are forced to consider what is truly important in your life, what needs improvement, and how to implement (once you're eating again) strategies to make it all happen. Fasting encourages deep introspection--something western society sorely lacks in the midst of digital cable, internet, jobs, sports, malls, restaurants, movies, plays, and the list goes on and on and on....

Fasting, though, should be limited to not more than once or twice a year--it does take a toll on the body, which we know then takes a toll on the mind as well. However, when we do fast, we should use it for its intended purpose, breaking down the drudgery of daily life and seeking ways to change for the better, thereby improving all of society.

There is a theological metaphor about how each person who lives represents a strand of webbing, all interconnected, like a spider's web. When one strand is damaged, the integrity of the web as a whole is affected. As I sit here fasting, now in my 22nd hour, I can't help but begin to see that though we each function as individuals, we, like our bodies and minds, are in a sort-of entanglement as well.

Humans require companionship--it's hard-wired, and is the basis for all civilizations. If we all know this, as acknowledged by the many countries, cities, towns, all over Earth, how is it then that we continue to disrupt the human web? As an individual, it can feel rather hopeless to try to affect change, to help others see that there are no boundaries, cultural, theological, geographical, visual, physical, or otherwise, in this, our human equation. Helplessness follows, and then, we seek to fill that emotional gap however we can--leading to further our social estrangement in a slow decay.

And somehow, this must cease. If we could each take a day to refocus ourselves, to truly examine who we are, not just as individuals, but in the scope of our global society, perhaps that sense of hopelessness and helplessness would get a bit better, sending a positive ripple throughout each person's life, the world over. Our society, like the cancer patients in the psycho-onocological studies, will "live" longer....

Parmenides, an holistic Greek philosopher (circa 500 AD) said, "All is one. Nor is it divisible, wherefore, it is wholly continuous."

It is the 21tst century. As a society, we need to catch up to Parmenides from the past. We are all one, part of a social entaglement; there are perceived divisions but we can just as easily un-perceive those separations. We will not continue as a society, as a global community, unless more time is spent on considering what is truly Real.

Until we next meet, fellow Alchemists, move carefully through your given space, remembering that coincidences do not exist....