4096,- EUR*
not displayed at Hayat Bir Sanat
Control Yourself
Discipline is widely perceived as a desirable thing. Yet, mostly, it is often connotated with sacrifice, burden and an unpleasant time.
As a young father myself in my late 20s I not only happened to be very interested in education, but very much interested into social systems and human psychology in general. I was already deep into systemic thinking and higher order cybernetics, as I sort of rediscovered the invisible power of such a cliché term as “well-mannered behaviors” after reading books from the great Asfa-Wossen Asserate.
At its very core, discipline is the ability to control your own behaviour and desire in favour of rationally or morally higher goals than your current desires or needs. It is an enabler for self-direction and self-redirection.
From Groups To Teams
I see discipline and orderliness not only as a fundamental attribute for an individual life, yet even more so as a desirable trait for a group of people (so-called “social systems”).
Disciplined, coordinated and well executed behaviour of a group unlocks a sheer magical new level of power to that group. That is well known and nothing new. It’s been known for thousands of years in a manifold of contexts, ranging from military, sports, education, up to families and housekeeping.
Having said all that, it is still a surprise for me from time to time, to quite literally observe the deterioration of discipline and its vastly beneficial consequences in today’s society. In pursuit of a liberated spirit, being able to freely navigate through our lives, we seem to almost unconsciously sacrifice the ability to control and constrain ourselves in favour of a higher purpose.
Me Follows Me Leading Me
Like any other human behavioural pattern, discipline is subject to change. I had years of rigorous disciplined work and times of “letting it slide” for the sake of inappropriateness.
I learned for myself that finding a good balance is a lifelong task, yet that I prefer to always lean towards more discipline rather than less of it.
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