It should be accepted as a most elementary human and moral truth, that no man can live a fully sane and decent life, unless he is able to say “no” on occasion to his natural bodily appetite.
-Thomas Merton
Self-denial feels like a series of small deaths, with certain seasons carrying greater significance than others. The remaining Christmas cookies I enjoyed daily in December finally made their way into the compost this month. My husband and I are practicing dry January in our home and Lent is just around the corner. I’m sure millions of people have begun new diets for the new year, stocking their fridges with intimidating fruits and vegetables. We have ample opportunity for both self-indulgence and self-denial. And yet a tipped scale in one direction or the other can be a recipe for disaster, leaving us questioning much of our choices. We are all trying to find balance in one form or another which seems to be what Merton is addressing from the quote above. Our occasional “yes” must be countered by the occasional “no”, a sign for Merton that someone is truly free. Self-denial may feel like death and yet, if you think about it, death is the ultimate freedom. Free from pain and suffering, from our human responsibilities and troubles. It is a release from the ultimate vulnerability of our human condition. The concept of death permeates the teachings of contemplative mystics, conveying the idea that undergoing these incremental self-denials throughout life, reveals that we have the potential to embrace the liberation of our human condition while we still have breath in our lungs.
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