Discipline And Modern Life

Unlike any other concepts, discipline plays a major role in the life of a person irrespective of time and space. Our grand parents and parents used to say that they were brought up a in a hard way. Teachers molded their life. Thus our grand parents & parents lived a disciplined life.

On the contrary, the concept discipline has got less importance in the life of the students today. Meanwhile , today the teachers are also motivated by offers of the modern life, they are drifting away from word and the meaning of discipline.

Let us analyze the concept discipline in an elaborate way. To teach discipline, there is always a need to correct them which has to be done in a disciplined way. Since Dritharastra did not correct his son Duryodhana in the initial stage , welfare of others did not concern him at all and we learn this in Mahabharata. On the other hand , in Ramayana, we come across, Dasaratha correcting his children. He would place them on his lap, dust their dress and then correct them. It is said that the act of correcting is like that of the potter who shapes pots on the potter’s wheel . The left hand supports the clay the right hand gives to the pot. Similarly, even in the process of being corrected children should experience love.

There are three ways of relating to another person namely aggressive, submissive and assertive.
AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR involves acting under the influence of anger as if one were the master and knows what is right and does not take into account the self respect of the other. This leads to shouting, ridicule, odious comparisons and so on. Finally in some cases it leads to beating , fighting etc.
SUBMISSIVE BEHAVIOUR is yielding to the other out of fear, not saying what needs to be said and thus suffering inwardly. This is what the helpless person or child does when attacked verbally or physically. The person cries or withdraws into himself or herself.

ASSERTIVE BEHAVIOUR means that one says or does what is to be said or done protecting al the while one’s own self – respect and that of the others involved in the interaction . This is maturity. All growth implies in assertive behavior.

People behave aggressively or submissively mainly because they have been treated aggressively in childhood. As a reaction , one might take to aggressive behavior and another to submissive behavior . ASSERTIVE BEHAVIOUR alone is the right type of behavior. It is the way of mature people. One needs to be assertive when dealing with an adult or a child , a rich man and a poor man. To be respected is the birthright of all.

The main goal of every teacher is to get the children well motivated to behave well and study well. If the students are so disposed to be well motivated, everything else will follow. There are largely three ways in which people can be transformed. They are (I ). Logic, ( ii ). Relationship, and (iii) example. With regard to children logic here means advice, scolding, punishment, etc.; relationship means the warm and cordial closeness established between the teacher and the students ; and example means that the students see in the teacher what he “ preaches”. Students have been shown that the power of logic to transform people is about 10%. The remaining 90% of the influence comes from relationship and example. Hence the famous saying of Dharmaputra in the Mahabharatha, “ Learning the Vedas not change people”. People are changed by living among good people and seeing their good example. In the Ramayana we have Sree Ram advising Bharat on how he should rule the country during the fourteen years of Ram’s absence from Ayodhya. Says Sree Ram, “ so live that people will obey you not out of fear but out of love.”
Jesus Christ advocated ,that,” love is only way, with which, we will have total transformation. ” Hence He forgave His executioners . The power of example is simply tremendous. Honest, simple examples of life in reality draws people most powerfully. We read in the letters of St. Paul how he could tell his disciples just to follow his example.
“ We did not eat anyone’s bread without paying, but with toil and labor we worked night and day… to give you in our conduct an example to imitate”. ( 2 Thes 3: 6 – 9 ).
St. Peter tells the authorities of the early Church: “ Tend the flock of God that is in your charge… Being examples to the flock.”
About the power of example, it has been rightly said, “ what you are speaks so loudly that I can not hear what you say.”

Finally, a good teacher is the one who implements the input given every year during the orientation program .Added to this, they update themselves with general knowledge, subject that is taught and also cultivate the habit of reading books.