self-discipline

as we are approaching Rosh Hashanah, we are looking ways to improve ourselves.
The traditional method of Teshuvah and the general mood of Chodesh Elul ,was in one-word "self-denial" or "discipline".Let us discuss this important trait at-length

As we open the books of our history --including Shulkan Urach & commentaries--
it is rich with all sorts of :fasts, Selichos saying how bad we are and we deserve to be punished,we must wake up "early" to ask for forgiveness,we also find "sigufim" rolling in snow, burning fingers, practicing silence,little-sleep, little/untasty food ,freezing mikvah, sweating while doing a mitsvah, receiving Malkus,learning torah hours non-stop.

Now, in our generation we invented a extremely popular word :PRESSURE. In our society we must do everything and anything to avoid this most dangerous and biggest devil. We must avoid it by all means, it might eat us up , bring us all kinds of mental and physical illness. We are told "to be kind to ourselves" "accept ourselves" "carry no guilt" etc etc.

So when we start reading all of our past Jewish history, it all seems like an old-fashioned extinct practice that is not possible to follow in our generation.

Admittedly,100 years ago self-denial -as described above- was considered POSITIVE and HEROIC even by the Goyim.It was considered a merit and virtue,you are becoming "more spiritual" "closer to go-d" ,at that time "god" was a fact of life much more than the health care or this and that talk show .For the Jew it was MUCH easier to practice all of the above discipline -he would thereby be honored & receive a golden medal for his achievement in self-sacrifice, as opposed of today that he might easily end up in jail or forced in a mental institution.(this is serious)

So we stand and wonder: what ought we to do? did they have it all wrong or are we all wrong?

WE must first and foremost accept and understand a fundamental fact: Society values are GODS hand not less than nature. An apple a flower a tiger and lion electricity and nuclear energy are all
GODS hand it is THE BIGGEST revelation of GOD עיקר שכינה בתחתונים .The angels of heaven look DOWN HERE to find the glory of GOD. There is nothing so complicated and phenomenal that a simple atom. Just study some physics and you find :the more we know about thing the more we bump into mystery upon mystery. Every generation comes up with new theories trying to explain the latest paradox. So again מלא כל הארץ כבודו like never before! just open up a textbook on:biology chemistry physics geology zoology.........shelves upon shelves to explain gods world

So "nature" is nothing but כבוד ד but here comes a even more profound statement: history or society is also כבוד ד You may ask can't we live in a "wicked" society with "wicked" values
The answer is definitely YES . It may be so and it is so, but that does NOT take away the above fact:this is EXACTLY how GOD WANTS it to be .

After understanding this, we approach the question in a different manner: what does GOD want from us , this culture as a GIVEN from HIM?

Before giving an answer, we must ask what is good about "self-denial" or "discipline" in general? isn't it easier to live without any discipline?