strategy
Asceticism
Synonyms:
Self-denial Description:
The practice of sacrificing feelings and psychological, physical and spiritual ties in order to give absolute priority to the work of a single religious goal and to be animated by a singleness of purpose. It often requires total self-commitment and entails contempt and danger from others. There are several reasons for practising religious asceticism. Frequently it is conceived as an endeavour to free the spiritual from the corruption of the body. It is seen as a way of avoiding the demonic. It is a way of entering into communion with the supernatural, of atoning for sins, of earning salvation by merit, and of participating in a radical other worldliness in view of the instability and transitoriness of all things earthly. It is also acting out a rigorous ethic provoked by weariness of exaggerated cultural refinement and hope for a realization of the ascetic ideal in simple social environments. The methods and means of asceticism can be divided into acts of both self-discipline expressed outwardly and inward exercises. The outward acts include fasting, sexual continence, renunciation of bodily comforts, isolation and perhaps actual infliction of pain. The inward acts are meditation, contemplation and prayer. Asceticism may be used as an individual way of maintaining a sense of awe among the masses or as a way of applying moral pressure on a group. Claim:
1. Asceticism frees one's attention from day-to-day human concerns to focus more clearly on a larger vision.<2. It strengthens the will. Counter Claim:
Asceticism detaches one from the everyday experience of other people, leading to isolation. Type Classification:
D: Detailed strategies Related UN Sustainable Development Goals:
