““If asceticism is to he something different today than this pre-modern denial of autonomy and self-determination, it must he conceived of differently and in nonsexist terms. It must start from the existing dependency of the ego on the world of consumer goods, a dependency hailed as autonomy and free choice. The issue today is a different relationship to things, not the mortification of the body. In the context of globalization, asceticism means simplicity in the sense of simplification of lifestyle and needs. This means less, smaller, less often, and more consciously. We have known for a long time that poverty can destroy the body and render the soul deaf and insensitive. What has yet to be learned is that overabundance of things and enjoyments also devours the soul.””
