SELF-DISCIPLINE

Self-disciplining is the learning process of ordering, organizing, controlling and monitoring of oneself (one’s mind and body) in day-to-day activities. When a person starts living on one’s own independently – thinking, planning, taking own decisions, setting own goals and limits, monitoring one’s different activities like working, eating(what food, how much etc.), exercising, resting etc. – he/she automatically develops this ability or faculty of mind. Evidently this becomes active when a youth/person is out of familial disciplining (by parents) and other influences. For vast majority of persons, lives are ordinary or normal, except for serious problems of family, health, work, income etc. All problems in life are caused by lack of discipline (self or group) in various activities of life. Self-discipline has different components, viz., (1) personal, (2) familial, (3) work/professional, and (4) social and legal. (See ‘Health care’ for a schematic diagram showing fundamentals of self-discipline and health care).

For understanding self-discipline in life, one should know ‘ what is life’ and ‘how to live’ correctly or with discipline. Life is the capacity to be active (or energized) by one’s own instincts or ideas/plans (see What Is Life for more details). Life is to be lived INTEGRATIVELY within oneself and with others and society with values, producing beneficial things for oneself and others. This is disciplined life and this needs a lot of learnings, training and practices for long time. Self-disciplinine can be learned in two ways, viz., (1) independently and (2) dependently or interactively in different groups(e.g., within families), watched and instructed by seniors or disciplinarians. The most important part of self-disciplining is learning the fundamentals first and practicing them carefully. First steps of learning and training start in families and last till maturity or adulthood. Since vast majority of persons work and live in groups of various types, some sort of common sense level disciplining takes place automatically. Teaching and training in group-disciplining take place in homes, schools, working places, social gatherings etc. Independent self-discipline (with a lot of learning) becomes necessary in independent living situations for founders, heads, leaders and organizers of different groups. This type of organizers are group disciplinarians also, and they cause other members to be independent and disciplined.

Start at family level, family being the basic level of society. Family level instructions and disciplining is the starting level of self-disciplining for all. Consider a fully natural family of birds in a forest, not influenced by city dwellers. Two adult crows (male and female) make a nest and the female lays and broods her eggs. The infant crows come out naturally. They are fed, protected and trained by the parent crows. Their upbringing process is fully natural. When the young crows start living on their own after finishing their learning and disciplining, they merge with their group and for them life goes on as usual. From nest building to flying, everything progress instinctually and naturally. Same process happens for all forest animals like lions, elephants, goats, deers etc. Hence learning-to-live (in other words disciplining to live) is most basic form of self-discipline. This happens in all families- in forests, villages, cities etc.- unknowingly or Instructively.

Tribals and rural people are normally disciplined due to their closeness and dependence on nature. Urban situations are just opposite. Urbanites are constrained to be partisan, mixed-up, consumerist, sensual etc. by their habitats. City dwellers need self-discipline as first priority. Self-disciplining has to start with a firm (or deep-rooted) decision to improve or change one’s behavior and life. (This can happen as a result of some incidents in life or influenced by others, books, articles etc.) Fundamentally it is a process of changing oneself in relation to family members, colleagues, neighbours etc. One important thing to be borne in mind is that this is a long term process (at times for years). This requires calmness, patience, affirmations, reviews etc. As the person progresses in the learning and changing process, he/she develops a mental faculty or capacity to build on further (see Health Care for related aspects). Consultations or discussions with knowledgeable or wise persons can help. What are the fundamental steps?

SELF-DISCIPLINE

Introduction

Self-disciplining is the learning process of ordering, organizing, controlling and monitoring of oneself (one’s mind and body) in day-to-day activities. When a person starts living on one’s own independently – thinking, planning, taking own decisions, setting own goals and limits, monitoring one’s different activities like working, eating(what food, how much etc.), exercising, resting etc. – he/she automatically develops this ability or faculty of mind. Evidently this becomes active when a youth/person is out of familial disciplining (by parents) and other influences. For vast majority of persons, lives are ordinary or normal, except for serious problems of family, health, work, income etc. All problems in life are caused by lack of discipline (self or group) in various activities of life. Self-discipline has different components, viz., (1) personal, (2) familial, (3) work/professional, and (4) social and legal. (See ‘Health care’ for a schematic diagram showing fundamentals of self-discipline and health care).

For understanding self-discipline in life, one should know ‘ what is life’ and ‘how to live’ correctly or with discipline. Life is the capacity to be active (or energized) by one’s own instincts or ideas/plans (see What Is Life for more details). Life is to be lived INTEGRATIVELY within oneself and with others and society with values, producing beneficial things for oneself and others. This is disciplined life and this needs a lot of learnings, training and practices for long time. Self-disciplinine can be learned in two ways, viz., (1) independently and (2) dependently or interactively in different groups(e.g., within families), watched and instructed by seniors or disciplinarians. The most important part of self-disciplining is learning the fundamentals first and practicing them carefully. First steps of learning and training start in families and last till maturity or adulthood. Since vast majority of persons work and live in groups of various types, some sort of common sense level disciplining takes place automatically. Teaching and training in group-disciplining take place in homes, schools, working places, social gatherings etc. Independent self-discipline (with a lot of learning) becomes necessary in independent living situations for founders, heads, leaders and organizers of different groups. This type of organizers are group disciplinarians also, and they cause other members to be independent and disciplined.

Family discipline

Start at family level, family being the basic level of society. Family level instructions and disciplining is the starting level of self-disciplining for all. Consider a fully natural family of birds in a forest, not influenced by city dwellers. Two adult crows (male and female) make a nest and the female lays and broods her eggs. The infant crows come out naturally. They are fed, protected and trained by the parent crows. Their upbringing process is fully natural. When the young crows start living on their own after finishing their learning and disciplining, they merge with their group and for them life goes on as usual. From nest building to flying, everything progress instinctually and naturally. Same process happens for all forest animals like lions, elephants, goats, deers etc. Hence learning-to-live (in other words disciplining to live) is most basic form of self-discipline. This happens in all families- in forests, villages, cities etc.- unknowingly or Instructively.

Discipline in different habitats

(a) Forests
In the case of forest-humans also the process of learnig-to-live is of same type as above. Only difference is, the learning process (for safety, hunting, gathering etc.) is extensive and of long duration lasting for many years. When the adult foresters make their own families, the process of basic learning and disciplining gets over. Here also the fundamental aspect of self-disciplining is learning- to- live with good health, integratively with family and environment.

(b) Tribal areas
Tribals come next in the human growth chain. Tribals due to their farming or pastoral (mainly) ways of life, have to learn more things compared to a forester. Their learnings acquire width and depth. Hence they require more disciplining of their own selves. Here also the learning and disciplining process is natural and familial. As tribal life styles are fully natural, they follow nature’s code of conduct in all areas of life.

(c) Rural ares
Rural societies are much different from tribal cultures. Rural people are mainly agricultural. Village traders and craftsmen are mainly based on activities related to farms. Permanency of domiciles is a characteristic feature of rural lives. These changes in livelihood and society cause additional training and disciplining needs. Hence public institutions of learning and training become a necessity. Specialised learnings give birth to specialists or intellectuals . Self-disciplining becomes more extensive and instructive with components like health care, family and morals, work-discipline and society and law. Rural societies are more diversified and heterogeneous compared to those of tribal areas. Still ruralists are inclined or constrained to be disciplined due to their closeness and dependence on nature and their predominantly natural ways of life.

(d) Urban areas
Situations in urban areas are very different. Schools, collages, training centres etc. exist for teaching students different aspects of life, viz., family, health care, various works and entertainments. Cities are centres for fast earnings, high-living, luxuries etc. Generally urban minds are ‘goldist’ (wealth centred) in nature and hence biased and/or selfish. Urban habitat is almost fully artificial and many life styles are unhealthy or disintegrative. Disintegrative and destructive ways of industrialization, urbanization, pollution and consumerism go on unchecked in urban areas. Modern devices of communications and entertainments and abundance of vehicles cause nerve-racking speeding and excitement. The cosequences to health, character formation in children and youths, morality and social discipline are bad. Disciplined persons who come from rural areas to work in cities find it difficult to maintain their minds in organized states. Fully disciplined life is only a dream for urbanites, since the city background is chaotic and breeds indiscipline. (See ‘Green Life’ and ‘Wealth Groups’ for more details.) Living and working with self-discipline and social values are very difficult. The norm seems to be only home discipline, office- room discipline or site discipline; nothing holistic and integrative.

Take the case of a small urban child. For this child training starts at 3 years in kindergarten. (In villages schooling starts at 5 years in a primary school after sufficient ‘togetherness’ with parents.) Working parents normally would not have enough time and energy to spend with their children for training and disciplining them. Radio, T.V., internet, computers etc. can ‘fuzzy-nate’ children, istead of consolidating the young minds. The trend continues into higher classes. Here mobile phones add a new dimension of spontaneity to buoyant and excited (or youthful) minds. Youthhood is the transition period to adults and maturity. Here an young person needs guidance and lessons in self-discipline rather than unlimited excitement.

Consider an urban worker who uses public transports for commuting. Crowded buses and trains add to strains of journey. Improper foods and use of junk foods can cause many health problems. Six days of regular/hard work is enough to weaken any healthy person. Such weakened workers would have no time and energy to care for family, children’s education etc. Personal health and discipline suffer in these situations. Group living and give-and-take attitudes drive lives of workers. If on-site facilities for health care and children’s education are not available, workers would be living in depressing situations. Where is scope for self-discipline or integrative living in these situations?



Fundamentals of self-discipline

Tribals and rural people are normally disciplined due to their closeness and dependence on nature. Urban situations are just opposite. Urbanites are constrained to be partisan, mixed-up, consumerist, sensual etc. by their habitats. City dwellers need self-discipline as first priority. Self-disciplining has to start with a firm (or deep-rooted) decision to improve or change one’s behavior and life. (This can happen as a result of some incidents in life or influenced by others, books, articles etc.) Fundamentally it is a process of changing oneself in relation to family members, colleagues, neighbours etc. One important thing to be borne in mind is that this is a long term process (at times for years). This requires calmness, patience, affirmations, reviews etc. As the person progresses in the learning and changing process, he/she develops a mental faculty or capacity to build on further (see Health Care for related aspects). Consultations or discussions with knowledgeable or wise persons can help. What are the fundamental steps?

1. Take a firm decision to change one’s mixed-up ‘views and ways’ of life to ordered and disciplined ways.
2. Take a firm decision to progress PEACEFULLY AND SLOWLY, consolidating oneself.
3. Have a reference source (e.g., a book on self-discipline), a person (e.g.,a guru or wise person), an authority or expert. (e.g., a psychologist).
4. Bear in mind that this can take long time (perhaps years) and changes in one’s values, morals, company, associations, job, income etc. can happen. So be calm and controlled always. Maintain good health. Proceed step by step.
5. See the goals and course of changes at times (or review), whenever there is need or doubt. Climb the steps one by one with breaks (for review or consolidation) in between.
6. Many morals and values are interactive and group-specific. They can be changed without friction as Interactions and transactions change. Fundamental or core values are social foundations and are applicable to all, e.g., honesty, order.
7. Remember always that easy ways of life easily corrupt a person and indiscipline follows. So disciplined life needs self-monitoring, self-control, slf-anchoring, exercise, introspection, reviews, contemplation etc. Use these techniques constructively. As an example, stopping unhealthy smoking or drinking become easy, if the steps (as above and relevant) are followed.

Quotations on self-discipline



See below what experts say about self-discipline.
(1) The only discipline that lasts is self-discipline (Bum Phillips). This does not require any explanations.
(2) Work while you work, play while you play; this is a basic rule of self-discipline. (Theodor Adomo) This points out the importance of order in all activities of life. If a person is ordered and organized through self-discipline, that person’s activities would be honest, just, courteous and social.
(3) Rule your mind or it will rule you. (Horace) Only self-disciplined persons can rule and control their minds or themselves. In group-living, elders, teachers, seniors, supervisors etc. watch, instruct, guide and control other members. Consider a boat and its captain in a choppy sea. The captain has to steer his course taking into consideration winds, waves, currents, day or night, water depth, distance to land etc. If his decisions go wrong, he is in danger since the boat gets ruled or controlled by waves, winds, currents etc. So rule/discipline mind to stay on course in life, otherwise mind would be controlled or ruled by others in society or by social mess like a choppy sea.
(4) When in doubt, tell the truth (Mark Twain). Doubt is a result of ignorance and inexperience. Truth comes out of knowledge,intelligence ( see Glossary )and experience. Hence honesty and truthful attitudes guard a person against dangers and uncertainties of life.
(5) You will only be remembered for two things; the problems you solve or the ones you create. (Mike Murdock). This is because, for solving problems one requires intelligence and self-discipline. See the opposite; all problems are caused by ignorance or indiscipline. So knowledge, intelligence and self-discipline are the things needed to solve problems and to be rewarded.



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