DMITRI FEOKTISTOV

Moderation is the key...

 

Asceticism is about practising self-discipline in all areas of your life. Simply put, this concept could be expressed as “Everything is good in moderation (breathe in moderation, sleep in moderation, eat in moderation, etc.)”.  It’s important to note that asceticism, in the context of the discussed topic, is the opposite of greed.  Being greedy means that you always want more of something (for instance, money), but you can be greedy for just about anything, e.g. food, drink or fame.

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Understanding and practising of asceticism must start with a shift in attitude. In other words, asceticism as a physical aspect of your overall health and well-being can be fully adopted by you only when you accept and start following a mental concept of ‘positive attitude’ towards yourself and the world around you.

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Firstly, let’s define what attitude is, and then talk more about what is meant by ‘positive attitude’.  Attitude is a composite of thoughts, feelings and actions.  By ‘positive attitude’ I do not simply mean being optimistic and resilient, but also being prepared to share your positive energy with others on your journey towards better personal health and well-being, so that once you improved your own health you could then help others do the same (“Be the change that you wish to see in the world”, Gandhi). This aspect goes hand in hand with the most fundamental Universal Law called the Law of Attraction ("Energy attracts like energy") and another important law called the Law of Cause and Effect (“You are what you think about most of the time”).

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In order for the shift towards ‘positive attitude’ to happen and become part of your everyday life (i.e. when you think, believe, feel and act as the person you want to become), you must cultivate a driving factor that is bigger than you or your self-centred desires – it is called ‘altruism’ (putting the interests of others before your own).

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In order to successfully practise ascetic lifestyle, one must develop and cultivate the right attitude based on altruism.  In other words, your body must be supported by your mind in order to fully adopt ascetic way of life (asceticism as a physical aspect of your overall health and well-being should be supported by positive attitude and altruism).