Today is Yom Kippur, the day of atonement; the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. It’s a day to reflect and to make up for all the sins of the past year.

As a secular person, I don’t believe in the concept of a duality between good and evil, so I don’t believe in sin, in the religious sense.

For me, Yom Kippur has taken on a whole different meaning. I never really knew what it felt like to be truly hungry, until my parents thought I was old enough to fast on this one day. Many people listening have never known what it’s like to be hungry.

As a child, I quickly realized how difficult it must be to live Yom Kippur every single day, which is a reality for too many people around the World.

So, although I don’t partake in the religious aspect of the holiday – which is why I came into work today (I don’t go to synagogue) – I do enjoy Yom Kippur if only to remind myself of how lucky I am to have grown up privileged enough to have three meals every day. And that’s something that everyone, Jewish or not, should never take for granted.

- Dan Delmar