To begin with, the metaphor “discipline” herein defines one’s relationship to themselves, not to others. The Nazi’s, for instance, are said to have been very disciplined, when that’s precisely what they failed to be. They were regimented, and controlled everybody else they touched, totally externalizing their goals, achieving them only by what they did to and at the expense of others. Like all barbarians they perceived conquest to be heroic instead of a mass murder.
Discipline is about how one manages their own life. It means to do something daily, like for instance diet, exercise, meditation, writing, practicing the playing of an instrument, musical or otherwise, painting (art), etc. It doesn’t mean to think about it or talk about it, though these can be useful activities; it means to work it. As a famous artist once said, “waiting for inspiration is for amateurs; I just get busy”. Such repetitive dedication applied to the expression of self is what creates anything of value, like a fit body, wisdom, or much better paintings. This is how learning new things takes place, by daily disciplined dedication. There is no other way, no matter how much we may wish for life, or our loved ones, to make it easier for us.
Thus, new meaning, insightful awareness or painting originality, etc. occurs only through the disciplined repetition of useful doing. In effect discipline is the part of us creating new structure to the matrix of our character – otherwise known as new habits or skills. Discipline means to persist in an effort, no matter what the obstacles, including physical or emotional pain, as well as the needs of those we love. Love is a valuable entity in which to invest. Yet it’s not the only deeply important part of our life. What we do with ourselves is equally significant. Indeed obstacles, whether they are other people or our own fears and limitations, are perceived to be there precisely in order for us to work through them to a new level of fitness, skill or acumen, no matter how long it takes, no matter how frustrating it is or how disappointed in our self we become in the process of doing it.
Love should never be a reason not to learn, no matter what our lover insists. It’s too easily the excuse for doing nothing of significance in life. To a disciplined person negative feelings evoked in the process of learning is never a reason to stop doing it. Discipline means to dialogue with our feelings – to converse with them. They exist precisely to make us aware of the obstacles already put there – probably unconsciously – obstruction built into our habits, not on purpose, but in order to serve some other need, most often the needs of those holding their lives together only with love, without any investment in personal discipline and the evolution of individual talents that it facilitates.
That’s what God is, a creature who makes new things – like the universe. Yet we have always regarded our creations as so utterly inferior to God’s that we don’t speak about them in the same breath or mind-space. Yet why do we look with such disdain upon our own efforts? Human perversity is not the result of bad people – that ubiquitous expression of our species’ guilt; it’s the outcome of bad structure, whether that be personal, cultural or national. And that can be changed… if we have the courage, determination and discipline.
