But there is also a personal dimension of fasting which is often overlooked. Those who participate in a fast do so to change themselves as well as the world. To fast, to reflect on the experience of going without, is to identify in a personal way with the poor. Forty hours of water and juice is not nearly the same as living a life where one's daily labor does not translate into a just wage, but it can change the quality of our commitment to giving voice to those without a voice, a presence to those who are invisible in society. The personal goal of those who fast is to become more compassionate.
Compassion is different from pity or sympathy.
Compassion connects us in spirit and understanding with others. Compassionate advocacy is more authentic because it seeks to begin change within ourselves. On a college campus we live in a world of ideas and visions. Ideas and visions are precious and powerful vehicles for changing the world. They are even more powerful when joined with compassion to create a just world.