Lent

It's funny how you can use the crutch of religion to get things done. I have been caught in a web of drinks these days. Anything and everything alcoholic has been gravitating towards me of late. And friends. When any of my friends invite me for drinks, I am more like Dracula getting a pass to a blood fest. Deep inside of me there is a voice which always tells me that I should refuse.

I always end up acceding to their requests without exception. The little voice gets drowned out anyway, after a few rounds. And the reputation. My reputation has become an enemy of mine. It says that I don't refuse a drinks invite, I guess. Irrespective of what I say, whether the reason is valid or lame, my wish to not drink is invariably brushed aside, time after time.

And then came Lent. I am Orthodox Jacobite Christian on paper. It was the religion assigned to me by my mother. It is what I fill up in forms whenever I am asked to. I don't really believe in the veracity of that religion, or of any other religion. I, however, have decided to observe Lent, by refraining from the major vices which are haunting me.

Religion is a very dicey subject. No one really forces you to break Lent or any other religious obligation. The drinks invites do come once in a while. The refusals now have legitimacy, and are accepted. I wonder if I will have to become a Sabarimala swamy after Easter, if I am to keep this gig up.