UPDATE 14/6/23: This was a rather confused and preachy post, and hopefully the last of them. Instead of praying at mealtimes I started going regularly to my local church, which is of course the most sensible place to pray. I started going on Holy Saturday and haven’t looked back since. I got baptised in May, which was probably the best decision I ever made.
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I need to get back into a habit of praying before eating, and though the idea isn’t very comfortable, I shouldn’t shy away from doing so around non-religious friends and family indefinitely. This post is a reminder to the myself-of-the-future.
To some there are very obvious religious/spiritual benefits to praying. However, I believe that prayer or even ritual pausing-for-reflection is still a worthwhile pre-eating activity for secular people. The task keeps one mindful of how lucky one is to be eating and not going hungry. It keeps one thankful for the position one is in, thankful for the people who’s work made it possible for one to be eating, thankful for the plants and/or animals, thankful for the Earth that the food grew on and thankful for the Sun that gave the food it’s energy. That is already enough reason to stop to show respect, irrespective of one’s beliefs (or lack thereof) surrounding God.
Keeping in mind the people, plants and animals and their sacrifices reminds one to treat such beings with respect. Likewise for our treatment of the Earth and the local environment. Taking the time to reflect will keep one more mindful of food-wastage and encourage a focus on ethical, sensible food-choices (respect your own body too!). It is also a good reminder to stay humble, and that there is no perfect solution to considerate eating. Being ethical doesn’t end with adopting a set of rules, it comes from putting thought and compassion into each new decision, always open to new information and the possibility of making a better choice this time than last time.
Being aware of the imperfections in one’s self and the constant struggle of life on Earth encourages one to think deeply about existence as a whole. This world is not perfect, this world will likely never be perfect, and it certainly won’t get there by the path of disorientating technological progress, nor by superficial societal “progress” (in whatever direction). Utopianism is a delusion that suggests insensitivity and a lack of true idealism. With prayer, one can set a course for a better world elsewhere.