Discipline is inevitable if one is to achieve harmony. Wherever you see harmony and inspiration, the underlying story is one that consists of discipline.
“Everything in the world is conducted by a gradual process. This seems to be the great principle of harmony in the universe.” William Godwin
I suppose there are two kinds of discipline, self-discipline and discipline enforced by an outside force, examples being parents, the State or authorities, God.
Discipline is observable in nature. Observing nature in light of discipline you can see the best portrayal of what Elbert Hubbard said: “Self discipline is the ability to make yourself do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.” – Look at the sun, the moon and the stars in the sky above. They are always shining and going about their course whether it is cloudy or not. They keep to their set patterns day in day out. This in many ways keeps the harmony and steadiness of conditions that allow for life to be possible on earth.
Think also of the mother hen, who after laying several eggs, has to sit on them to provide warmth and other requirements for them to hatch. The brooding process takes 21 days before the eggs hatch. The hen becomes disciplined to sit in that one spot (though I remember observing that the hen would take breaks but not for long) for all those days for the eggs to hatch. Without this kind of discipline, the eggs would not hatch. And I am certain this kind of discipline is present in many other creatures to enable them to survive and thrive.
I think one of the most beautiful moments is watching military parades during ceremonies. They are spectacular in fashion, everything is done in precision, rhythm and harmony. I think it is impossible to achieve this kind of precision and harmony without immense discipline. It is no wonder they are referred to as the disciplined forces. So clearly the harmony we see at the end, is the result of countless hours of disciplined practice and lifestyle. There can be no harmony in their marching without discipline.
In an Article titled Standards and Discipline, An In-depth Look at Where We Once Were and Where We Are Now, Command Sgt. Maj. Shelton R. Williamson gives a reflection about the history of the US Army. He writes “ As the standards and discipline of units improved, so did the success of the American Army eventually leading to victory over the British. As our Army continued to mature and take on a larger role across the globe, standards and discipline would become the very core that would separate our Army from other fighting forces around the world; often viewed by other countries as the “Gold Standard” of an Army with respect to standards and discipline. The other armies often looked at how we marched in formation, how we were consistently in the same uniform, and how strong and tactically savvy our leaders were. All of these spoke to our standards and discipline.”
He quotes George Washington, the first General or leader of the American Army, who once said “Discipline is the soul of an Army, it makes small numbers formidable; procures success of the weak and esteem to all.”
Williamson continues to say “Discipline, or military discipline as it is often referred, is defined as the state of order and obedience among personnel in a military organization and is characterized by the Soldiers’ prompt and willing responsiveness to orders and understanding compliance to regulation. Often, non-military members view all uniformed military services as organizations that have a very strict set of rules where it takes an enormous amount of discipline to thrive. Much of the perception that the Army is a very disciplined organization is true; from the time a civilian makes the choice to become a Soldier until that new Soldier walks across the parade field as they graduate from Basic training, discipline is a focal point in their training.”
Just as discipline is crucial in the harmonious and successful operations of an army, so is it for us as individuals. We must embrace discipline to achieve success and harmony in our lives.
Consider this information from an article I read in Mindfulselfdiscipline.com titled Self-Discipline is Personal Harmony. It says “When one part of you wants something and another part wants the opposite, there is no harmony, but internal conflict. Self-discipline is the art of harmonizing yourself, and creating positive rhythm in your life.
Rhythm is all around us.
Our body has its own rhythms, such as the circadian rhythm. We can think of it as the routine of the body, its natural self-discipline. When the body’s rhythms are respected and maintained—through healthy meals, regular sleep schedule, etc.—we experience physical health, vitality and wellbeing. Break them, and we start facing all sorts of problems.
Music is rhythm. Every note, every pause needs to be exactly in the correct place—not one second before, not one second later. Otherwise there is no harmony. It’s a very strict discipline. Follow it, and you have music; break it, and all you get is noise.
Beauty is also rhythm—a form of visual discipline that values harmony, symmetry and balanced movement. There is even discipline and form shaping the creative flow of ideas in a story; without that discipline, the story’s expressiveness and power are diminished.
Discipline is the foundation for rhythm, balance, and thus harmony. Lack of discipline leads to disharmony, wasted energy, and chaos.”
While applying discipline in our lives, we must be careful that we are not doing so mindlessly. We can be too zealous, being disciplined in the wrong things which in the end will not be of benefit to us. As the Bible says in the book of Proverbs “Zeal without knowledge is not good”. We should not operate like this overzealous police man in this story:
“While patrolling the streets of his small town, a new policeman gave a citation for every infraction he could find. When a car came rushing by, he immediately turned on his siren and lights and pulled over the driver. The young man jumped from his car and tried to explain his emergency but the officer perceived the verbal initiative as a threat so he cuffed the man and hauled him off to jail. Every time the guy tried to speak,the policeman exercised his authority and insisted on silence. After making the arrest and feeling confident he had demonstrated the complete power of his badge, the policeman started an autocratic monologue with his prisoner. He smugly said, “Lucky for you, ‘fly boy,’ the chief is at his daughter’s wedding and will be in a good mood when he finally gets here to see you.” The prisoner replied, “I wouldn’t count on it, Sir. I’m the groom!””
That being said, I want to share with you 10 of my favourite quotes about discipline:
- “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening-it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way” Hebrews 12:11
- “Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.” – Abraham Lincoln
- “If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse.” — Ryan Blair
- “I think self discipline is something, it’s like a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it gets.” – Daniel Goldstein
- “True freedom is impossible without a mind made free by discipline.” – Mortimer J. Adler
- “Discipline is the bridge between your goals and accomplishments.” – Jim Rohn
- “No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined.” – Harry Emerson Fosdick
- The job of a football coach is to make men do what they don’t want to do, in order to achieve what they’ve always wanted to be. – Tom Landry
- “Self discipline starts with the mastery of your thoughts. If you don’t control what you think, you can’t control what you do.” – Napoleon Hill
- Your ability to discipline yourself to set clear goals, and then to work toward them every day, will do more to guarantee your success than any other single factor. – Brian Tracy
So what are your thoughts about discipline and harmony? How disciplined are you right now?
For us to live an inspired harmonious life, we should embrace discipline. Just as there is no shortcut to the top of a tree, there is no shortcut to achieving harmony in life, we have to adopt discipline, to keep at it day in and day out. If for some reason we encounter a set back, we pick ourselves up from where we fell and keep moving forward.
