A friend asked me this morning to ponder and write something on Facebook on the idea of self discipline. Good place for such a topic. At first, I thought "Eventually, when I get around to it." Then I said, "No, get down to it now!" So, Ok, before you leave due to this opening lame humor, like a philosophical DJ, I’ll spin that platter by request. I’ve posted on social media, and realized I haven’t blogged here in more than a week, so here goes for you wise people who through self discipline stay off social media.
First, I’ll not hyphenate the word, in order to emphasize both components. You can write it either way. Our word ‘discipline’ comes from the Latin ‘disciplina’ (you can see the resemblance already, whether you haven't had your coffee or have had your cocktails; and more implications on that later) which meant “instruction, teaching, training, knowledge.” That eventually gave us the late 14th century meaning of “system of rules and regulations” often used in the Catholic Church, but not before the 12th century French (‘descepline’) and a few Old English had translated the Latin, or added on the additional gloss of “chastisement or punishment.”
I want to suggest that self discipline is a process of guidance and guardrails, offered internally, within our own hearts and minds, for the sake of attaining a state of heart, mind, or body that we desire, or else an external goal that we seek. It is a process in which we act as our own coaches, advisors, and trainers, laying out practices of behavior and monitoring and correcting actual performance to that end. Guidance and Guardrails. And that’s one of my definitions of wisdom. Self discipline is by nature a partner of wisdom, but of course can be used toward foolish and evil ends, and so is never the same thing. It’s a subordinate virtue, depending on its positive value for the other virtues it serves.
We have the ability to rise above ourselves, or stand outside ourselves, and monitor and appraise our own conduct. It’s a secret to positive growth and healthy achievement in any domain of life. But too few people cultivate and use this innate ability in our time. External distractions and unruly passions block the light of the sun, and too many have forgotten the need we often have to strive and work, resisting fleeting impulse and following genuine insight.
As I see it, self discipline uses at least four tools: reason, imagination, accountability and habit. Reason is for understanding what we truly need, as distinct from what we merely want. Imagination helps us vividly depict the path we’re on and where its taking us, along with where we’d be better off going instead. Accountability brings us buddies and partners who care about us enough to encourage us, point out our inconsistencies, and help us get back on the path. And finally, cultivating a healthy habit can be the ultimate tool of self discipline, and can help us avoid even having to fight big battles in order to follow consistency the way we’ve chosen. Self discipline is a key and pervasive ingredient in a life well lived, and is far too little understood and practices in our day. Sorry I couldn’t say it all more succinctly, but I didn’t have enough, well, you know.
