"We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aid, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn." -Thoreau
Today I awoke early, granted a little after dawn, but well before my alarm. In that moment just before wakefulness, I could feel myself not hungry but dreaming of the long task ahead, of four more days without food. Then in another instant I was awake, and full of energy, no signs of hunger this morning. This feeling, this is the feeling Thoreau wanted everyone to have, of the burst of energy of a new day; to awake and greet it's arrival every morning. To do so, not through the force of an alarm, but through a childlike giddiness for the daily renewal of life itself.
This fast has awoken me, and clarified for me the line between importance and frivolousness. I think I gained more from this fast before I even fasted, just by recognizing that inaction is not acceptable. My action, through the art of inaction (not eating), may not carry any real weight, and will likely have zero impact on the budget debate. The action, before it has even really begun (and this is the phenomenal power of fasting), has served to arm me with a steely resolve towards working for a better America. I will not trade away fundamental social programs for tax credits and then be told that this is prosperity.
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