Urban Monk, aka Secular Ascetic Options

Just got my copy of Adbusters end of year edition, and they 3 top identities of 2006. This one caught my eye...

Urban Monk, aka Secular Ascetic.

Not to be confused with the hedonistic urban hippy, urban monsk thrive on the underrated pleasures of self-denial. Taking a cue from the Stoics, Puritans, Sadhus, Spartans and Jains, this eminently sustainable though largely secular creature excels at saying no: no to the accumulation of wealth, no to conveniences, no to cars, no to television, no to meat. Possibly owns a laptop, but harbors deep-seated guilt about that fact. Thrills at issuing personal challenges like 100-mil, raw, vegan, calerie-restricted diets. Some adherents even dabble in the mortification of the flesh, renouncing hot water and room temperature above 15C. They do, however, tend to draw the line at sewing thorns into their underwear.

This seems to describe me quite well (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

I'm not interested in making lots of money.
I stopped watching TV a year ago.
I drive a Smart car.
I own an iBook (but have no guilt about it).
I am giving up meat for 2006.
My room is heated to 17C.

Any other Urban Monks out there?

Mr Merlin, I don't have time to do the full research at this time, but there are benefits and contra-indications in all that we consume.

It is all a matter of amounts and synergies.

For instance some thought was given to slow-release sodium fluoride for the treatment of osteoporosis in Crohns disease patients if given with calcium and vitamin D - just to balance this a little here (IMG:style_emoticons/default/13.gif)