To a non-Christian, Lent can seem like a strange or depressing proposition, asking people to sacrifice some of their happiness for a story that they don't even accept as true.
As a Unitarian Universalist - who tries to find value in all faiths but doesn't feel any obligation think positively of all their components - I have mixed feelings about the idea of Lenten sacrifice. I’m not bothered by the idea of giving something up for God at all. It is possible to turn the season into a deeply reflective time of generosity or spiritual growth. But if you're doing it simply because it has been dictated to you by your church, you can end up with a ritual that is meaningless, or even selfish. It's easy to do it for the wrong reasons; giving up sweets to lose weight or cigarettes to save money are resolutions, not sacrifices. Christians think of their sacrifice as being like a gift to God, not to oneself, and while I'd never deny those kinds of self-improvements are positive, they don't really tap in to the meaning of Lent, which is about the willingness to suffer a hardship for an greater good.
I grew up in a Roman Catholic household, and when I was a kid, my mom decided that we would all give up TV each year for 40 days. To a 10-year-old who loves Ninja Turtles and Bart Simpson, that's like asking me to hold my breath for that much time. When I got older and my mom let us make our own decisions about what to sacrifice, I started giving up meat instead of TV, because in addition to being difficult it also does some concrete good for the world. Taking the initiative to stop eating meat for 40 days each gave me a sense of empowerment over my moral actions, and taught me to stick to commitments to better myself. I believed strongly in God at that time in my life, and the most important thing about making my own Lenten sacrifice is that it personalized that relationship.
My religious beleifs are different now, and I don't consider the stories in the Bible the Lenten season are built around to be literally true. My views on the idea of temporary sacrifice changed too; I figured, if something is spiritually productive or ethical, what excuse is there for not doing it all the time? I eventually became a vegetarian permanently.
But when it comes to something that may not be practical to give up constantly - like, for example, television - Lent is a good spiritual exercise. It's a good way to reflect and remember people in the world who do not have the luxuries we have. I think it’s especially good for teaching children about religious diversity, and they will someday use the learned self-control to stay true to their own concepts of right and wrong. And it teaches you a lot about how your sense of pain and pleasure work. After 40 days without a single bite of sugar, a chocolate bar on Easter sure tastes good.
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