According to the dictionary, asceticism is “severe self-discipline and avoiding of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons“. Asceticism is often described as the denial of one’s will. How does asceticism fit into the descentist framework?
Descentism is my reorientation away from my middle desires and toward my cardinal desire for peace. During the initial period of emergent descentism, there is a tumultuous battle between my will to live and my will to peace. For me, it was my rejection of procreation, the modern American life and all established relationships, and my relocation to the other side of the world.
With time, my conviction grows as I directly experience the benefits of acceding to my desire for peace. The pain of an ascentist life recedes as my middle desires and perversions subside, validating the reorientation. The fog of ascent breaks and I have a clarity. A direction emerges, and following that direction feels good, reinforcing my commitment to descent.
In my reorientation I have let go of most relationships, possessions, habits, tendencies, comforts, and preferences that were once important to me. But I only let go of them once I no longer desired them. It was conviction which fueled this change, not self-discipline and deprivation.
Descentist reorientation would appear to be a severe form of ascetic self-denial from the imagined perspective of an indulgent ascentist. But to the committed descentist, I am not denying my will, but understanding, recognizing, and abiding my greatest will for peace. I know that my middle and cardinal desires are incompatible, and I must choose one or the other.
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