Fasting

Colleagues and friends ask me why I fast. It's a good question, one that I think every Baha'i asks him or herself. After all, why deprive yourself of two of the most basic human needs, food and drink, from sunrise to sunset every day for 19 days (one Baha'i month)? Well, here are a couple of answers I've come up with. If you have more, please add to the list.

DETACHMENT
The first reason we fast is to learn detachment from material things and to focus on the things of the spirit. The purpose of life is not to acquire material possessions but to develop one's spiritual qualities such as tenderness, generosity, love and patience. These are the things that you can take with you when you die. What you leave behind will return to dust and be no more.

COURAGE
Some people react with deep concern: "How can you not eat or drink all day? Is that healthy?" Well I'm happy to report that millions of people all around the world have survived the Fast year after year for over a century now. (The young and the elderly, those who are ill, pregnant or nursing and those involved in heavy labour are exempted.) So the idea is not to harm your body, which you need in order to operate in this world, but rather to teach you that you are much stronger than you think you are and that much of what you think you need, you don't actually need.
So imagine, if you can go 19 days without food or drink while the sun is up, what else can you do that you did not think yourself capable of? That should give you courage.

WILLPOWER
Fasting is easier for some and harder for others. Of course, I think the whole purpose of fasting would be defeated if it were easy. It's natural to get hungry and thirsty (sometimes very much so!) and the sight or thought of food can distract me from whatever it is I'm doing. But since I know I'm not going to give in because I've decided so (an exercise of will in itself), I focus on something more productive than dreaming about the end of the day. This is willpower. And if you can practice it now, where else can you practice it?

FAITH
Suppose you want to learn to play beautiful music on the piano. First you would find an instructor who can teach you what you wish to learn. The instructor gives you exercises so that you develop the skills you'll need to perform. Now you may not understand the purpose behind the exercises as you're doing them. But if you have faith in your instructor, you'll do them anyhow. Eventually you understand the wisdom behind the exercise and you appreciate it. But in the beginning this is not always the case. If you faithfully follow your instructor's guidance, you will achieve your goal of playing beautiful melodies much faster than if you decide that you know better than the instructor and you go off on your own.
Fasting is like that. Baha'u'llah tells you that this is a valuable exercise for your soul. If you have faith in him as an instructor, you'll follow his directions. If not, then it's like learning the hard way. You may still make it, but it'll be harder.
The other element of faith here is that when you wonder why you're fasting, sometimes the only answer you come up with is "because Baha'u'llah said so." And in that moment, you are testing your faith. Do you trust that he knows what is best for you?

Finally, I'd like to link to a post by Victor on fasting that addresses some of the science of fasting.
Anxiously Concerned: Some Food for Thought on Fasting

Happy Fasting everyone!