BBC Radio 2 Moment of Reflection on Ramadan: what can I do differently?

Earlier this week, I was on BBC Radio 2 with Clare Balding. Here is my moment’s reflection about Ramadan. The text of my reflection is below, and you can listen to the audio here.

I’ll be honest with you, I’m a little bit terrified that Ramadan begins this week. The fasts are long, from 3 in the morning till almost half past nine at night, with no food or water.

But the terror of any challenge that takes me outside my daily grind makes me excited too.

In Ramadan ordinary life is frozen as we concentrate on personal development, quiet time for reflection and spiritual growth, as well spending time with family and friends. Everything else is simply struck off the list of things to do.

The rules of Ramadan can feel radical, but sometimes that’s what we need to shake us out of the rut in which we get stuck. It offers up space and time to ask: “what can I do differently in my life?

Some people choose to fast in solidarity with Muslim friends and colleagues for a day or two. But we can all share in the spirit of Ramadan, and challenge ourselves in another way, by imagining the possibility of living life freed from the constraints we’ve tied ourselves into.

Perhaps we can all take some time to ask ourselves the question “what can I do differently in my life?” Like Ramadan, the answer could be a bit terrifying, but it could also be very exciting.

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