Having tried out the hermit life during the course of the pandemic, and having failed to maintain momentum, I can't imagine the strength of will actual ascetics must have. It's inspiring even to consider that there are people out there right now in the wilderness that are able to sustain such strong motivation and subtle spiritual practices. Certainly a goal for the next life...

Reading this has made me realize how easily I fall into the tendency of using sleep to escape life as you said. I hope you keep writing about this sort of topic!