6/13/10

Straight Edge

One of my friends once told me how he had never taken a sip of alcohol, coffee (!) or puffed a cigarette or taken any other drug. While I respect his resolve and will, I don't think this is a form of moderation as much as it's just hardcore asceticism.

Some people are surprised to learn that ultra-ortho Jews can do almost all of these things, are even commanded to do so, because one's body should not be ignored. Is Straight Edge, or possibly other ascetic doctrines like Jainism, just an immoderate level of moderation? They are the opposite of too much: they are not enough.

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