The practice of self-discipline is a kind of spiritual athletic training.

"Now and then order has to be imposed on the chaos of our lives. A crisis initiates it. Or a bottoming-out in our addiction, even a crushing weariness with the struggle. The discipline we choose at the time may engage the body or involve deliberate reading. It may quiet the mind through meditation, fasting, or intensive journaling. My own practice of wilderness hiking has been a way of incorporating all of these disciplines. Every time you renew a pattern of intentional training you do something good for yourself. The body and the spirit both delight in exercise. Discipline is a deliberate way of recalling what it is you really want, demanding that you remain true to yourself even when you're not yet sure what that means."

Belden Lane,
"Backpacking with the Saints"

We live in a culture that encourages us to be passive - passive to the news, passive to the entertainment culture, passive to the advertising that is continually foisted upon us, passive to mindless pleasure. In the process, we lose our sense of agency, and our sense of self-confidence begins slipping away as well. However, self-discipline is an invigorating antidote to this passivity. The Desert Fathers used the word "ascesis" to describe their life of self-discipline. This word is derived from the Greek "askein," which means "to train for athletic competition, practice gymnastics, exercise." Thus, the ascetic life is a kind of spiritual athletic training.

 

Photos: Needles District, Canyonlands National Park, UT, November 28-29, 2014