Posts by Ashley Thompson9

So, you look at guys like Siddhartha Gautama and Martin Luther, right? Both of them really dove headfirst into Asceticism, only to realize pretty quickly that it was a total dead end. It just doesn't get you anywhere. Instead, they pivoted toward actual spiritual growth, figuring out that true moderation comes from gaining wisdom. Honestly, if you want to actually think or dig deep into your own soul, having a stomach that's either stuffed to the brim or completely empty is just a recipe for disaster.

Patrick Wright2 said:I honestly don't see how you can link being on some "higher spiritual plane" with causing pain to other people. 😕

Besides, how is an ascetic even capable of making someone else suffer?

See, I was talking about the suffering caused by the hedonist, whereas when I mentioned the ascetic, I meant they look down on people because, in their eyes, everyone else is way too obsessed with material stuff. If true spirituality leads to a certain way of living, then someone who becomes naturally humble through that process isn't really an "ascetic"—they aren't actually giving anything up, they just don't feel the urge for all those over-the-top physical pleasures anymore. But an ascetic? They're performing. It's a pose. They want to show off their "spiritual strength" to impress everyone while judging other people's lifestyles as sinful or inferior. And hey, maybe they don't even realize they're doing it! They claim they aren't judging anyone, but let's be real—just by choosing to renounce things, they're basically triggering envy in everyone else. Truth is, they might not even have that inner strength; maybe they just lost the race in competing with others, so they turn to Asceticism out of pure spite.

Now, I don't want to be unfair to folks who live life to the fullest and enjoy themselves without being selfish or immoral about it. For them, everything I said about naturally humble people applies. Plus, letting go of things that we can rationally see are just extra baggage or unnecessary... well, that's not fake asceticism either. That’s just genuine inner strength.

Honestly, being an extreme ascetic makes you just as inhuman as being a total hedonist. It’s all about excess, right? That’s why we even have specific labels for them. An ascetic basically spits on any kind of normal human joy, while a hedonist just goes wild without giving a single thought to anyone else. At the end of the day, both types end up hating people and only caring about themselves. Like, look at John—he's always chasing this idea of spiritual superiority, while the other guy just looks down on everyone from his throne of mindless indulgence, acting like other people's suffering is just a fair price to pay for his next thrill. Now, don't get me wrong, some people are just naturally low-maintenance, but I wouldn't call them ascetics in that arrogant, man-hating way I'm talking about here.