DisciplineDiscipline comes from inside. If it is imposed or assumed for show, it is like putting on a coat. You wear it outside where it is seen, but come inside, where it is hot and you just take it off. In the privacy of your own problems, it just becomes a burden; you want to be free of it. Real discipline is part of you. It is an expression of respect for life which is why you put the coat on in the first place, but it is also an expression of respect for yourself, which is why you keep it on - even when things are hard. In fact it is natural to be disciplined, to follow a pattern of existence that has order. Nature has order, happiness and sorrow, though sometimes not understood, they have their set time. Nothing is naturally random. Even death is at the mercy of a system. We just can’t see it. So there is an attraction to discipline which is why real freedom isn’t always what it appears to be and which is why we eventually get unhappy when we do not embrace a routine. Discipline requires a tangible goal, an adoption of something larger than yourself which is guiding your attitude, otherwise how do you know what’s wrong, what to strive for? Nothing’s wrong unless you have the mirror of a system to look into. It may just be the system of a profession or the channeling of a talent. A dancer just wouldn’t wear 4 inch heels; an athlete wouldn’t either and a politician would watch his words. At best though, it comes from something beyond these- something spiritual which outlives either talent or profession. When discipline comes from a commitment of the spirit, it brings unbroken safety. It sets off the fire of love with a kind of coolness. It keeps you in the middle of the road. No sudden standstills before the journey are over. In sickness there is safety, because discipline makes you sustain precision when it would be easier just to let go; in happiness there is safety, because discipline stops you spilling too much feeling for others to slip on; in sorrow there is safety because discipline makes you go on walking through the actions which will bring back your joy. In all moods, discipline gently holds you steady. Discipline is mercy. It becomes a voice inside which softens the resistance of weak ness and ushers you towards freedom. |