Discipline or Perish

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.”                                                                                                                                                            —Gim Rohn

Discipline is the most important ingredient which connects dreams and aspirations to that of successfully achieving them in reality. It acts as the intersecting point between dreams and reality enabling one to achieve the goal. It forces man to put a bar on all such distractions that tempt him from his aim, making him efficiently direct his mental and physical potential towards achieving such an aim.

“There is no magic wand that can resolve our problems. The solution rests with our work and discipline.”                                                                                                                                                                                                      —Jose Eduardo dos Santos

It is extremely essential to discipline ourselves and work hard towards achieving our goal. There is no short-cut to success; instead the disciplined approach brings about fruitful results. Success is a pains-taking process and involves a lot of patience, determination and dedication which come with discipline to ultimately reach the pinnacle and conquer the summit of the mountainous goal. Discipline inculcates in man the ability to differentiate between priorities and alternatives. It makes one optimistic and positive in approach. It makes one realize the importance and value of time and that, “Time and tide wait for none.” Discipline makes one learn it the hard way that there is no way to leap and reach the end point, rather the path must be travelled with patience and determination. As in Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” he emphasizes upon the traveller’s decision to choose a particular path which must be completed at all costs. Discipline gives man the mental strength to continue the process that has been initiated.

“Discipline is wisdom and vice versa.”                                                                                                                                                                                                   —M. Scott Peck

Discipline opens to the person an entirely new world which would not have been possible had it not been for discipline. It calms the soul and retracts every iota of anxiety, restlessness and negativity spreading a peaceful, tranquil and serene atmosphere about the person. Practising discipline had been an extremely difficult task yet the fruits brought about by it had been beneficial. The great sages and monks who having renounced the worldly domain had taken refuge in the boughs of nature have been successful in attaining the greatest spiritual emancipation by practising discipline through and through. Discipline had been the fundamental basis of living in the lives of the great men and women alike which separated them from the material world and the real world. Great men like Siddhartha had been strict followers of discipline and simultaneously promoted the same among disciples. Siddhartha had been successful in achieving ‘Mahaparinirvana’ through penance and sacrifice because of his extremely disciplined lifestyle. Discipline had kept him rooted to the reality without getting pulled into the world of pleasure and worldly desires and had always made himself focus on his ultimate goal without getting deviated. There might have been moments when the physical need of thirst and hunger had wreaked havoc and partially deterred him but discipline and the urge to attain what had been sought for had kept him going finally helping him attain enlightenment.

Men like Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Abraham Lincoln had been devout followers of discipline which had propelled them towards success despite countless hurdles placed on their path. Discipline had catapulted them towards success. Discipline had taught them many a lesson making them profoundly wise over the years through their mistakes and achievements.

“Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself.”                                                                                                                                                                                                            —Abraham Joshua Heschel

Discipline makes one confident of one’s own potential. It pushes out every notion of demoralising oneself; instead one learns to admire and elevate oneself. A positive sense of respecting and loving oneself for the feat achieved enables gradually people to become morally upright and virtuous with the tenets of discipline.

“For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories.”                                                                                                                                                          —Plato

Temptations and distractions are part of life and they must be vanquished in order to move ahead or else they in turn would vanquish the traveller. Therefore the negativities that emanate from man within must be conquered in order to emerge victorious as it is the man who gets distraught and bewildered when tempted by distractions pulling him away from his path. Hence he must weigh his options and act accordingly by eliminating the hurdles that frequently make him disoriented. Disciplined students sometimes do feel tempted to squander away time like their classmates but discipline makes them resume their routine and not break away from it. Discipline acts as a balance and check system which keep a close vigilance upon the routine and lifestyle of the person. Recreation is absolute necessary in life but that too in measured quantity which is ensured by discipline.

“Rule your mind as it will rule you.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           —Horace

Rudyard Kipling had once famously remarked in his poem ‘If’ :

“If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;

If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim.”

Discipline teaches us to dream but does not allow dreams to over-power our conscience or else we will be at the mercy of our untamed desires. Our thoughts should not be the end product of our journey, rather our thoughts must accompany us to our success which is acquired by actions only and not thoughts. Discipline teaches us to think realisti-cally and rationally instead of floating in a world of imagination and virtual limbo.

In this world of cut-throat competition in every aspect of life, be it academics or employment, discipline will be the saviour and guide that will help the competitors to survive in the battlefield. Without discipline the person will be no match for the highly motivated and hardworking competitors who are gaining speed every single second. Not a single minute should be wasted or else the person will be run down by the ones at the back. Charles Darwin’s theory of ‘natural selection’ is actually applicable in today’s world where the most disciplined and fittest one would survive while others who do not abide by the law of discipline would perish in no time. Over years of experiences of thousands of men and women, discipline has stood the test of time which has been the most important factor for survival on this vast battlefield. As Andrew Marvell had remarked in his poem, “To this Coy Mistress” :

“But at my back I always hear Time’s winged chariot hurrying near.”

Time has always been that one factor that had made kings out of paupers, victors out of warriors and at the same time reduced many to ashes. Discipline had been the cause behind the victory of the famed and while the anonymous perished and succumbed to oblivion due to lack of discipline and regulation.