Our patriarchs come from the monastic life. It is considered a countermeasure against power-lust. If you spend ten or more years living in a monastery, you are less likely to emerge as worldly and political in nature. Therefore more trustworthy to oversee within the church, you see.
All Orthodox Christians are called to the ascetic lifestyle, not just the monastics. We are to advance as our spiritual leaders believe us ready and as we gain spiritual maturity. The quality you defined as quaint earlier is one "sign" of this spiritual training.
If suffering and redemption are not closely linked, why did Christ suffer so severely in order to redeem us?
What practices are included in "mortification of the flesh" in the Orthodox tradition? You are perhaps aware of some of the excessive practices within the church of Rome historically.