Self-Discipline Is The Focus, Aim & The Goal

Picture by Joaovitorg via Pixabay.

Discipline has become a misunderstood word. 

At first glance and with the conditioned connotations the word holds, we often think of restriction, obedience, conformity, subjugation and restraint. 

As a result, when anyone thinks of discipline, it can raise a feeling of dread and the fear of going without. 

Discipline is viewed as a continuous action which eventually leads to a reward. A directed suffering and commitment that makes it all worthwhile in the end. 

It's important self-discipline is given a more authentic meaning as this will reveal why we would actually embark on any pathway of self-discipline. 

Discipline derives from the latin, discipulus, which literally means, “to learn”. 

Self-discipline therefore means “to learn of ones self.” 

It is to focus on the man before the mission, rather than grasping at a moment in the future to be the man you want to be. 

It is only through ones continuous mistakes and calamities that eventually one may ask:

‘Why does this keep happening?’

Or

“Why do I keep doing this?” 

The need for self-discipline is obvious but what’s overlooked, is the inner battle between the parts of us that want to stay in the conditioned past and the parts that want to escape from these habits and responses. 

Anyone that’s tried to lose weight or quit another habit, will know just how hard it can be and why most people fail to change. 

Understanding this internal resistance and expecting it to rise up within us when we embark on changing our ways, creates a preparation and a compassion that lasts and extends beyond any willpower. 

Self-discipline is not a starting point but an extension of what we wish to escape from and the freedom we wish to experience. 

it is to have a curiosity of whats on the other side of our conditioned responses. 

It is to desire the best for ourselves and the world around us. 

What we are really searching for is primarily an inner order we can rely on, an order free from the fear, obedience and conformity of modern society. 

Those that profit from such things, want society to be a slave to their senses, addicted, distracted and ultimately helpless. 

This is because a disciplined mind sees everything clearly, not just in terms of the lens of fear and inadequacy we are encouraged to live by but the possibilities we really have in our own lives. 

The discipline that lasts is not an end point, a craving to be something but within the character of a man who lifts himself and those around him through his own example. 

It is this discipline, that a mission or a goal becomes just an extension of a man’s character. 

So the questions we can ask are: 

“What would I like to escape from?” 

“What value would this add to my life and those around me?” 

"What could I do if I was free from the emotions and habits that keep me where I am?' 

Until next time.