"That man is richest whose pleasures are the cheapest."—ThoreauWhen I spend more money than necessary, I give others more power over me than necessary. Unfortunately, the ones to whom I cede power are usually not the wisest. Wise men are few, and to make money requires a large market.
For those of us who are not wealthy, ascetic discipline is an inevitable component of intellectual discipline. Without it we are forced to take orders from the undisciplined, and all our discipline amounts to naught.
I would add: self doubt can often lead the self-disciplined back on to the path of submissiveness.
ReplyDeleteHe/she might need to develop a "culture of one" that can provide continuity and narrative to their experiences for those times when they deviate significantly from the dominant social narratives.