fasting and the lessons of

As I read (and listened to) this week's lessons, I realized that reading about Ramadan and fasting left me incomplete in my understanding of the purpose of the fast. I thought the combination of our lessons which included balance, wisdom and fasting brought together a perspective which counterbalanced and strengthened each other. Wisdom is subtle and comes from experience with the ultimate goal of achieving a strong taproot from which to maintain a balance in life. Part of that taproot is achieved by not just reading or studying but by experiencing. One cannot appreciate Ramadan unless one participates and fasts, even for a day, to appreciate and understand the purpose and meaning. Fasting for me gave me an experience and understanding that reading never did. You cannot carry on as usual during a fast. You must pause and give your body a time to rest and reflect. If you try to push on as usual, you are fighting a process that is resisting you and wears you out. The added significance is that you begin to understand the added difficulties and sufferings of others--how they must deal with this feeling every day. From this comes a small step toward wisdom and a growing taproot.This experience was much more valuable than any text could have provided.