asceticism

The asceticism is the condition, the doctrine and the result of a ascetic life. In this way, the existence marked by the austerity, the rejection of materialism and the search for a spiritual elevation.

It can be said that asceticism is a philosophy linked to religion. The ascetics maintained that, by resisting material pleasures, they managed to purify their spirit. In this way they led a sober life, guided by strict ethical guidelines.

Although it can be considered as an independent doctrine, asceticism was incorporated, throughout the story, to religions like the Christianity, the buddhism and the Islam. The ascetics, in this framework, appealed to this lifestyle to relate to God.

In Christianity, various monks and religious communities began to leave the cities to lead an ascetic life in the desert or other remote areas. The objective was to dedicate himself to prayer, the meditation and the penance without the meddling of worldly matters.

Saint Anthony Abbot, Saint Simon Stylite Y Paul of Thebes are some of the Christians who opted for asceticism. They are part of the group known as Desert Fathers as they retreated to desert regions of Egypt Y Syria.

Asceticism also appears in different ways in the buddhism. On a general level, Buddhas believe that meditation and detachment allow one to get rid of suffering and achieve nirvana.

In the Islam, asceticism has been linked to Sufism in the search for a pure life and close to God (To).

Lao-Tzu is the name of one of the most important Chinese philosophers, although many scholars doubt that it was a real person. Since his biographical data indicate that he lived in the 6th century BC. C., it is not easy to verify that it was not a fictional character. Anyway, the wisdom of this individual represents a valuable legacy, and one of the quotes that is awarded is very appropriate to talk about asceticism today: "Material goods lose balance and peace of mind."

We are in an era in which the existence of every human being has lost meaning and value, since the systems They have turned us into mere pieces of complex machinery: we are laboratory subjects, part of various experiments that lead us down the path of consumerism without giving us a break to be aware of it.

Modernity is characterized by a tireless routine that always aims to conquer the goods materials, which give us a fleeting happiness, which vanishes just in time to go after the next. Thus we remain faithful to the fashion of the day, so as not to be left out of society, no matter what we give in return. Asceticism is often seen as an extreme measure, as part of a reality so far away that it seems fiction; however, it could be the perfect antidote to reencounter ourselves as a species.

One of the consequences of excessive attachment to material goods that we often overlook is the fracture that society suffers from economic differences. Given the only a part of the population can access them, the rest becomes part of another reality, detached from the present in the eyes of the privileged, but unfailingly subjected to it and forced to endure it. The purification of the spirit that asceticism can provide us goes far beyond both realities, and could lead us to a revaluation of the individual to break down social and economic barriers.