Why we need fasting of words

There are many reasons to take into consideration, and not only in times of Lent, for believers and non-believers, the fasting of wordsAn exercise that doesn't mean closing oneself in silence, but rather appreciating it, as a primary gateway to other desires. On the other hand, fasting, applied to food, is now a widespread practice, which we periodically try not only to lose weight, but also to cleanse the body. The same goes for words: reducing our profuse use of them certainly helps us purify our language, too often marred by the very compulsiveness with which we express ourselves.

Talking less means, first of all, as a direct consequence, listening more. silence It's a necessary, though not sufficient, condition for listening to what others have to say. And the fewer words we utter, the more we listen to the words spoken by others. All this can only improve relationships, reduce the pressure of our narcissism, and train us to grasp even the nuances of what we hear, without reacting impulsively. Listening, as such, generates harmony and community; it's a magical fluid that helps us stay together. Why do we seek silence in religious services, starting with Mass? Precisely to allow this fluid that unites a community to flow. And even prayer, the highest and most complex of connections, requires silence to expand.

Fasting from words, on the other hand, weakens the desire for conflict, especially if it's pointless, and helps us discover the mechanisms by which we manage not to unload our anger and frustrations onto others, along with the burden of words. Restraining the urge to respond immediately develops patience and self-control, and many tensions arise precisely from the inability to curb the urge to express one's opinion.

Like all detox diets, the detox of words also represents a form of detoxification. From what? From the pervasive language dominated by insults, vulgarity, cynicism, and the inability to restrain words that can always turn to stone. Accompanied by silence, we become naturally inspired to seek the kindness (just as contagious as violence) and sobriety. And selecting words reconstructs their meaning, their fullness, their value, where excessive and disproportionate use empties them. We saw this with the sustainability, a key word for our future, violated by its improper and false use. On the basis of which everything seems green, eco-friendly, while the world, if you look at it closely, is increasingly less sustainable.

Fasting, finally, doesn't dull desire, but rather rekindles it, as always happens when something is lacking and beyond our reach. This is also because the choice of language, the filter of the words we use, helps us to clarify, first of all in our own minds, to recognize the priority of things, to distinguish what matters from what simply translates into a waste of energy, time, and human relationships.