(Dec 12, 2018 05:10 AM)Syne Wrote: [ -> ] (Dec 12, 2018 03:50 AM)C C Wrote: [ -> ]What a move up from the erratic availability of food in earliest times, that lack of it could acquire status as a voluntary ritual or practice. Almost as if those minor periods of hunger (distinguished from ones of outright starvation) had to be preserved as tradition / custom.
Was the aim of asceticism status? Or did it only have significance when it was the abstinence of something available?
[1] Continuance into agrarian lifestyle of something already in play during the former nomadic days due to the latter's own circumstances or harsher limitations (i.e., not requiring "going without _X_" to be deliberately invented and a voluntary option, in terms of that earliest origin).
[2] Different and diverging cultures then plugged their own varying reasons into the "why" of the practice artificially persisting or being revived / rediscovered by a community. (Examples: Endurance, self-control, part of inducing hallucinatory "spiritual" journeys, warrior preparation ritual, coming-of-age test/passage, a minor personal sacrifice or penance to appease an irate deity, a group rite for warding off tragedies like drought/famine, cleansing purposes, a component of a holy day's behaviors, etc).
Michal Ofer is one of those peeps with a biological background who drift into industries or professions that advocate eccentric fads like Paleo Diet. But still probably sums up the idea here as quickly as anybody:
On the topic of intermittent fasting, one of the initial and most obvious conclusions one can draw is that our ancestors most certainly practiced their fair share of it, often due to lack of choice. In fact, this is probably the most natural way to eat. Mankind evolved whilst following a fasting cycle. This was not due to a burning desire for a six pack (although they were certainly lean and muscular) but because that is how they lived. The very nature of a hunter-gatherer lifestyle lends itself to going extended periods of time without eating. Going for long periods of time without food, is assumed to have been a typical way of life during mankind’s prehistoric hunter-gatherer phase, especially during cold seasons when food was scarce.
Furthermore, during the day, people moved around from place to place, hunting and collecting food. They certainly did not sit down to eat three meals. They may have snacked periodically on plants, seeds and nuts that were gathered, but they probably did not stop every 2-3 hours to eat. It was only in the evening when, if available, they would eat a large meal which would have consisted largely of foods similar to our Paleo options today.
It follows that the human body, through evolution, would have most certainly adapted to these periods of hunger or fasting. Not only did the human body have to adapt enough to survive in times without food, but it also had to be able hunt, gather, and fight. Hunter-gatherers, when looking for food, needed to be alert and focused. In pre-history, if an individual could not hunt well while hungry they would be less likely to survive. These are strenuous activities for the well-nourished individual, much less one that may not have eaten in three or four days. There is little doubt that evolution would’ve given top priority to adapting to such common and life-threatening conditions and we are the descendants of those who could perform well when low on food.
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