Discipline does not contradict the ethos of eremitism if it comes from nature, not authority. Discipline is the tempering of the self through the creation of beneficial patterns of behavior, habit, and choice. Discipline casts a rigorous eye on the excesses of experience and is a tempering element in study. Discipline is the tempo, pace, and strength of the great range of human activity, whether eating, meditating, working, studying, physical labor, creativity, interaction with others, maintaining a schedule, etc. Discipline is also a force for checking excess: eating too much or the wrong things, sloppy or overambitious meditation, working too much or too little, and so forth. Overdoing daily life can be as insidious as permitting sloth. Inactivity should be contrasted to worldly and contrived things, not to nature. We must remember not to be tempted, in the glow of discipline, to pursue worldly vanities and make contrivances.