Corporal mortification.

I Scourge the Body Electric on Godspy.

... In our society, it’s considered perfectly normal to mortify our bodies so long as the reason is secular and the goal is physical. No one bats an eye at cosmetic plastic surgery, Botox, tattoos, and body piercing. Even physical fitness taken to extremes is looked upon as almost de rigeur ... but if you perform corporal mortification for religious reasons, to achieve some spiritual good, you’re an oddball ...

I especially like this bit:

... For example, my boss’s secretary keeps a tin of chocolates on her desk for the staff. On several occasions, I’ve begun my day with the intent that I would fast from sweets for a particular prayer intention. But by three o’clock, I’ am distracted to the point of becoming a chocoholic version of Gollum and Smeagol from Lord of the Rings "Must have the precious!" Unlike the One Ring though, there’s nothing evil about that piece of chocolate. It won’t do me any good to go on a perilous journey to Pennsylvania and cast the One Chocolate into the fires of Mt. Hershey from whence it came.

That illustrates the fourth reason why I practice corporal mortification—to build perseverance. If I can’t resist something as inconsequential as a piece of chocolate, how am I going to be able to resist real temptation when it comes my way? These little acts of self denial build spiritual endurance in the same way my morning runs build physical endurance ...

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The title of this article is coincidentally based on Walt Whitman's poem, "I Sing the Body Electric," which, along with some things by Rene Descartes, I'm writing a paper about tonight.