I used to practice renunciation, but I gave it up

Diogenes of Sinope was one of the most colorful philosophers of ancient Greece. He practiced an extreme asceticism, famously living a barrel with his dogs. One of my favorite stories, Alexander the Great approached Diogenes while he was sunbathing, and said, “If I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes. What benefit can I bestow on you?” Diogenes replied, “Can you please move out of my sun?”

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Jesus famously said that it’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, yet all things are possible with God. In another place, a young man asks Jesus what he must do to earn eternal life. Jesus gives him a standard answer: be a good person, follow the law, etc., but the young man presses him further. Jesus says, sell what you have and give to the poor, then come follow me. The young man was aggrieved, because he had a lot of possessions.

I’m not sure the message implied is that poverty is necessary for salvation. Vivekananda said “When a person realizes [experiences] God, they give up everything.” If you already have a lot of possessions and responsibilities, not only is it harder to give sufficient attention to your spiritual work, you could end up with regrets if you postpone it until later in life. In China, people would frequently take up Daoism after they retired from active life; the rabbis say that you shouldn’t study Kabbalah until you’re forty. I never studied Kabbalah, beyond reading the Sepher Yetzirah and a book on gematria, but I think if you’re going to do spiritual study, you should do it when you’re younger, before you’re established in life. Otherwise, you could end up with regrets.