Discipline

Being a writer, perhaps I think about words more often than might be considered normal. I wrote a lengthy blog last year about words, and many of you groaned about it being too long. So, I'll try to make this short and sweet.

The word discipline popped into my head a few days ago. Perhaps I was trying to come up with a word that encapsulated all the unruly, disorderly behavior that seems so prevalent these days, or maybe it was the general lack of control in the way many people conduct their lives.

I find this shortcoming hard to ignore, but I congratulate myself for having the self-discipline to overlook everyone else's peccadillos. As I’m sure you will agree, if everybody were more like you and me, the world would be a better place.

Discipline can admittedly be difficult. I typically think of discipline as a form of controlled behavior, conforming to an established order or a set of guidelines. This could be something as simple as exhibiting good manners, respect for others, or a tactful expression of opinion. Self-discipline is the fundamental foundation of a civil society.

In structured organizations, such as the military, discipline (noun) is essential, and those who don't comply are subjected to discipline (verb), typically in the form of reprimand or punishment.

When I was young, we were vigorously taught the basic principles of discipline, and if we didn't comply, discipline came in the form of a good spanking. I guess spanking is no longer considered appropriate. Maybe that's why so many younger people seem less disciplined.

Discipline is also used in the context of fields of academic study, which seems reasonable. You need self-discipline to focus on the discipline of Computer Science, for example, and if you goof off, you become subject to disciplinary action – aka flunking.

So, can you see why I got fixated on this word? Probably not. People don't typically think about something like discipline, but it has a lot of implications depending on the context. Without discipline, we have chaos, road rage, immorality, ignorance, dogs and cats living together. I'm sure you can think of gobs more examples of the great shortage of discipline in the world today.

What do you think? Is there a lack of discipline these days, or have people just gotten increasingly self-absorbed? Maybe it's something else.

[Full disclosure - I lack self-discipline when it comes to donuts.]