First, discipline is punishment. This is the most common form of discipline. It is this form of discipline that Anna finds herself repeatedly facing with her bosses. She does not, or can not, control herself enough to perform even the simplest of tasks with any regularity. This total lack of self-control that Anna exhibits allows those who have authority in her life to righteously wield punishment, such as releasing her from work. She is left with feelings of anger and resentment. Any happiness that she might have with her life is obliterated. Since there is no control of her actions, Anna has absolutely no control over discipline.
The second definition of discipline is control gained by enforcing an orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior. We see this form of discipline in a school where everyone must follow set rules so that order is maintained. Our society too has a set of rules defining the base conduct that we all must follow; our laws. It is this form of discipline that John is inflicting upon himself. I will not call it self-control but rather self-discipline. He may find this system of regulation makes it easier for him to deal with his every day tasks, but it is not bringing him any happiness. In fact, he feels as if he is in a rut. His self-discipline has power over him; John has no control of discipline.
Now, before we get to the final definition of discipline pertinent to this discussion let’s take a moment to define joy. Again, going back to Merriam-Webster Online we see that joy is the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune. I have heard it said that joy is the ability to be grateful no matter what the circumstances. It is impossible to have this feeling of joy in your life without having control of discipline; without knowing that you have the freedom to be who you are while maintaining the basic morals that give us an orderly society.
It is in the final definition of discipline that we see the path to joy. Discipline is training that corrects, molds or perfects the mental facilities or moral character. I call this self-control. It is the ability to do what is right, not because it is what is expected of us from outside influences, but because we recognize internally that it is the correct course of action for us.
If we look at John, his actions are being enforced. He feels obligated to perform all his tasks in a timely manner. We know this not by looking at the actions themselves, but by seeing what he is feeling. If he were choosing these actions because he truly felt they were the correct path for him to take, he would not feel as if he were in a rut but instead he would feel the freedom of making those choices. He would be grateful for his circumstances in life – he would feel joy.
The same reasoning applies to Anna. She is repeatedly fired because she is not performing the commitments that she has agreed to when accepting a job. If she were to take the time to show a little self-control before taking a job by looking at all the responsibilities and ensuring she could and would perform them, then she could go to work daily with peace of mind. Anna would be taking the steps to control her own discipline, thus not allowing discipline to control her. By taking this action Anna, like John, would allow joy to enter her life.
Again, John and Anna represent extreme examples of discipline being in control. Most of us are not so excessively out of control in our lives. However, there may be some area in where discipline has domination. Some internal searching to determine where our joy is missing might help identify that part which is being controlled by discipline. With training we can give ourselves a firm grasp of self-control, thus, refusing to allow discipline to control us. We can control discipline and have complete joy in our lives.
See Part I