I'm giving up giving things up for lent for lent. Life in the fast Lent WW in the midst of Lent right now—the Christian time of fasting for 40 days and 40 nights to represent Christ’s time in the desert. To be perfectly frank, I had not even realized Lent had started until I looked it up today. The Catholic remnants of my past were quick to howl with anguish at this before once again slipping under the bed. It is common for most Catholics to give something up during Lent. Something that means something. A sacrifice. It’s not supposed to be easy, but some go above and beyond, abstaining from multiple treats or activities. I remember those days Otherpress % Eric Wilkins Editor-in-Chief © f. fi. Lauren Kelly Assistant Editor Mercedes Deutscher News Editor Adam Tatelman Arts Editor iam © arts@theotherpress.ca Angela Ho Business Manager Jacey Gibb Distribution Manager Cara Seccafien Layout Manager Joel McCarthy Graphics Manager Elizabeth Jacob Production Assistant M editor@theotherpress.ca Massistant@theotherpress.ca Mi news@theotherpress.ca well. A staunch on-the-cusp- of-converting schoolboy with a heavily muddied uniform complimented by a pair of dress shoes soundly beaten by the rigors of the soccer pitch. There was never any doubt what my mother wanted me to give up for Lent. I'm fairly certain that the majority of the time, my sacrifice for Lent was chocolate. Being a dessertatarian of the highest degree, for me, this was no small feat. It was most difficult in grade four—the year of my introduction into this new tradition—and got easier as the terms passed. Though trying to fill my sweet tooth’s dark cavity Bp 2. £. g Ed Appleby Ilustrator Jony Roy Social Media Coordinator Aaron Guillen Staff Reporter Staff Writers Rebecca Peterson Cazzy Lewchuk Jamal Al-Bayaa with potato chips proved to be a fruitless endeavour indeed. Lent became one of my major trials each year. I dreaded it to an extent, but committed nonetheless. If Christ could fast for such a length of time, who was I to complain about the lack of a single luxury? If he could die for our sins, couldn't I manage to also avoid meat on Fridays? It was all about perspective and keeping one’s purpose close to heart. And now? I’ma happy agnostic who can’t even remember when formerly important religious observances come into season. That’s not to say my past, or in the greater scheme of things, Davie Wong Sports Editor Chitwan Khosla Features Editor M features@theotherpress.ca Brittney MacDonald Life & Style Editor Mlifeandstyle@theotherpress.ca Elliot Chan Opinions Editor M opinions@theotherpress.ca Chandler Walter Humour Editor Mhumour@theotherpress.ca Senior Columnists Jerrison Oracion David Manky Columnist Jake Wray Contributor Sharon Miki Lent, is irrelevant. How often do we give something up in our daily lives? How often do we truly hold ourselves back from instant gratification? In a world where a pizza can be ordered at the touch of a button and limitless programming is at our fingertips, it’s easy to get what we want when we want. And while there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, there isn’t anything particularly right about it either. Exercise that willpower. Hold off on grabbing that tub of ice cream on the way home from work. Practice some moderation, even cutting treats and such out completely from time to time. Not only will you find your indulgences far more rewarding when they do come to pass, but you'll be happier in general. Training yourself to be patient allows some progress from the “I want it now” attitude—it will get easier. Be like the Christians and have purpose. Danke danke, Onic Yilhi Editor-in-Chief Rm 1020 — 700 Royal Ave. Douglas College New Westminster, BC V3L 5B2 \ 604.525.3542 @ theotherpress.ca M editor@theotherpress.ca ¥ ©/theotherpress f/DouglasOtherPress (¥ The Other Press has been Douglas College’s student newspaper since 1976. Since 1978 we have been an autonomous publication, independent of the student union. We are a registered society under the Society Act of British Columbia, governed by an eight-person board of directors appointed by our staff. Our head office is located in the New Westminster campus. (¥ The Other Press is published weekly during the fall and winter semesters, and monthly during the summer. We receive our funding from a student levy collected through tutition fees every semester at registration, and from local and national advertising revenue. The Other Press is a member of the Canadian University Press (CUP), a syndicate of student newspapers that includes papers from all across Canada. (¥ The Other Press reserves the right to choose what we will publish, and we will not publish material that is hateful, obscene, or condones or promotes illegal activities. Submissions may be edited for clarity and brevity if necessary. All images used are copyright to their respective owners.