Discipline?

[pharoah21]

I'm very curious about it.

Is discipline a good, or a bad thing? I understand that people who are disciplined seem to be able to achieve a great many things in life, but most 'disciplined' people seem to have no soul left in them, as if the life has been disciplined out of them.

It's a tricky one........

What do you think?

[TWINCANS]

What about disciplines like yoga? martial arts? chi kung? etc.

Also would you say nature is disciplined in that every June its summer, and December it's winter etc? Every rose remains that rose (are the Diva's disciplined?)

I get what you are saying, but I see that kind of discipline as an unnatural drive for perfection either to please others/another, fear of failure or due to overconditioning. Those people need healing.

It's definitely tricky. Like the 12 sets of opposites, maybe at the right time and place, and for the right reasons, discipline is divine. But at the wrong time and place, and for the wrong reasons, it's demonic.

[Carmen]

There is huge difference between 'self discipline' and discipline imposed on us. But as youngsters we need discipline imposed to a certain degree to be able to discipline ourselves as adults. This is a timely subject for me because as a child I was extremely spoilt, being the youngest by nine years of all my siblings and all through my life its been a battle to discipline myself to achieve what I know I can achieve. I guess its a question of balance. I also possess a strong wild spirit that has mostly lived outside the box of society. I've been a passionate truthseeker, but I still struggle with self discipline and at times envy those with it.

[Sloppyjoe]

I'm extremely self-disciplined with weight lifting and my eating habits but i pretty much get that way with just about anything I get into. I think it's a good thing to an extent but sometimes I wish I wouldn't be so much about working hard and be a kid more.

[pharoah21]

I realise that as a kid I pretty much did what I wanted to, but I was constantly trying to avoid severe beatings from my Dad for things like not doing homework or being too loud/messy. It was a bizzare mix of no discipline, but being beaten up at the same time. I'm a very free easy going person half the time, the other half I keep myself in check. It probably doesn't make any sense to you guys.

I just wonder sometimes wether I should strive for discipline, or be free and easy.

An image of a buddhist monk comes in to mind now. They are very disciplined, yet very content and go with the flow at the same time I guess.

Tough balance to aquire.............thanks for the responses guys :)

[Tony]

There is a lot in the word discipline.

In the beginning discipline is guidance.
Once one recognises and understands what one is doing, it is no longer discipline.

Discipline then can become joy.
However, if that joy is held onto, it becomes conceit.

Discipline is needed when say climbing a mountain (metaphorical).
When you see the top, the goal, just seeing it spurs you on.
When you are in a trough (metaphorically sad) discipline helps
to remember.

Tony