The timeless appeal of asceticism

The growing desire for detox – digital and otherwise – fasting and the preference for experiences other than the material may suggest an inherent propensity for austerity and asceticism. More so when the young and successful are turning towards it.

When done with a view to personal physical or mental benefits, it remains a desire and often an expensive one. I

t generates a demand that is catered to by a plethora of services and goods termed spiritual, lifestyle or self-help. This commercialisation may dilute the quality of the process, but it does not take away from the fact that in all cultures austerity and asceticism have a transformative role.

In ancient India, tapas, or the restraint observed for salvation, was rigorous and conferred powerful benefits. Even as it came with a caveat not to misuse the power, it did become an instrument of control. Religions often imposed ritualistic austerity.

The Samurai in Japan and the sages in India had a huge impact on culture, morality, and ethics. Martyrdom in Christianity was honourable, and when it became an individual’s preferred way of life, it was associated with a superior mind.

Many philosophers from Socrates to Einstein led simple lives. Artists like Michelangelo looked on poverty as a virtue and an impetus to creativity. Plato in the classic Republic considered asceticism a necessary requirement for a philosopher. Even more interesting is the idea that such a preference could be integrated into a form of protest. Gandhi believed that a proposition became more persuasive if the person making it did not stand to benefit from it being accepted. He went on to argue that sacrifices would add further credibility to the argument. He made his case for being seen by rural Indians as their representative by abandoning the lifestyle of a lawyer. He used to fast as a means of conveying that he was ready to sacrifice his life for a cause. His concept of trusteeship saw the capitalist as no more than the trustee of capital, just as the labourer was the trustee of his labour.

In today’s world plagued by overconsumption, mental health issues and the degradation of the environment, can austerity put the world back on track? Doing with less could make redistribution a smoother process. If less is actually more, the time spent on being acquisitive and the stress in protecting the acquisition can be freed and made available for more meaningful activity.