Asceticism.

For a long time I've harbored fantasies of spending an extended period of time (a day or longer) without speaking - a speech fast, if you will. Sometimes I imagine foregoing all communication completely; other times I imagine allowing myself at the least a sign to hang around my neck that reads "I'm sorry, but I cannot speak today." I've shared this idea with a few of my friends. Some of them have been receptive, even excited about the prospect, while others don't understand why I would do this. When I told my friend Will, he was a little skeptical, I think. He asked me why; I don't remember what my answer was.

"Can I make an observation?" Will asked.

"Shoot."

"This seems to be tied in to an underlying proclivity of yours for asceticism. Would this be fair to say?"

"That's exactly right," I laughed, and as I did I realized that it was.

In light of this, I'd like to share two articles I've read in the past few years, about two fascinating (to me) men, Zell Kravinsky and Wayne Gerdes. Both have extreme proclivities, the former for philanthropy, the latter for gas conservation. Their views wildly diverge from the mainstream, but when I read these articles, I thought, "Of course!" Still, I haven't figured out exactly how or whether to incorporate their ideas into my life.

The Gift (profile of Zell Kravinsky) - by Ian Parker, published August 2nd, 2004 in the New Yorker

King of the Hypermilers - by Dennis Gaffney, published Jan/Feb 2007 in Mother Jones