One of the typical patterns in our lives is the inclusion of small luxuries. Initially, a new thing or experience feels like a luxury that we only occasionally get access to, but soon we use it all the time and it becomes part of our normal life. By that time, we reach for the next luxury and we keep running on the hedonistic treadmill. There is nothing wrong with enjoying luxuries and creating comfort for ourselves, but we should avoid feeling entitled to them and as if we couldn’t live our lives without them. Comfort can easily become slavery as we are afraid it can be taken away from us. One of the great stoics, Seneca, recommends that we take some days every month to practice poverty. Eat the simplest of foods, wear the roughest of clothes and sleep away from your bed and home. And ask yourself the question if this is what you feared. You’ll realize that you can live perfectly fine without your creature comforts. After practicing poverty for a day, all the comforts you had gotten used to suddenly feel like luxuries again! So, ask yourself: am I a hedonist who is a slave to comforts or am I unattached?