Breaking the Fast

I just finished a fast from alcohol for a year, through all of 2008. The reasons were multiple: regret from going a bit overboard on occasion, not having enough time to do anything unproductive, concern that I could make unwise decisions that could harm relationships, and a clear calling from God. It was easier than I thought it would be and gave me a great perspective that I would not have had otherwise. I decided to break the fast for similar reasons: comfort that I had gained more maturity and discipline, gaining more time from finishing grad school, and spiritual ease that it would be ok.

I have seen the world differently this past year, partially from traveling and reading to gain a bigger world view, and partially through this fast. This has made me question what is important to me and what I am living for, and given me a fascinating retrospective on what I have said I lived for and what I was really living for in various periods in my life. It has also concerned me about the impact of pop culture on youth and the challenge to think independently. Even bigger, I am struggling with the appropriateness of striving to improve one's own lot, working and using accumulated resources for your own good when there is so much need elsewhere. Is every choice to buy a luxury good equivalent to telling someone in need that your pleasure is more important than their survival?