I couldn’t tell you a single one of my friends who gave up something not food related for Lent this year. Whether it be cookies, fast food, chocolate, soda, or all of the above, the vast majority of students on campus choose to abstain from some variation of “unhealthy food” for the 46 days of Lent.

Here on campus, it seems like Lent has become an excuse for people to diet without actually being on a diet. It basically gives people a second chance at their New Year’s Resolution to eat healthier.

I understand that most students enjoy eating junk food, and by not doing so during Lent they are fulfilling their lenten obligation to challenge themselves to do something they normally wouldn’t do. However, giving up sweets year after year becomes redundant, lacks purpose, and fails to bring the majority of people closer to God, which is really the main goal of Lent.

For the people that give up candy thinking it’s a sacrifice, I challenge them to consider what their motives for doing so are. For those that truly believe it’s a sacrifice that will strengthen their religious beliefs, I’m all for it. However, that’s not the case for most people. It’s become more of a trendy event to partake in, as this seems to be the only time of the year that people recognize their religious beliefs. More often than not it tends to be people who lack the willpower to abstain from treats without having a ‘higher purpose’ to it.

A couple years ago alumni Kyle Karnuta gave up texting for Lent. Every teenager today would contemplate doing that for a second, and by that time they would have come up with ten excuses why it would be more of an inconvenience for others than for themselves. How would my parents get ahold of me? What if my friend has an emergency and needed something? What if something happened to me? Honestly, I think most parents would rather call their kids than text them, and if a friend really needed something they would be able to call too, otherwise it can wait a couple days. People could survive perfectly fine without modern technology as few as five years ago, so we should be able to, too, for a month and a half.

Choosing not to eat certain foods really doesn’t bring anyone closer to Christ. However, distancing yourself from the constant communication with others (i.e., give up social media, phone usage, Ipod’s, the Internet, television, etc.) and choosing to spend the extra time you have everyday reading the Bible or spending time with family would much better achieve the goals of Lent.