The Value of Discipline
Discipline means learning to obey certain rules of conduct. The very essence of discipline is obedience – obedience to rules. In other words, discipline means the willing submission of a person to rules, regulations and instructions recognised by society. It is a willing and polite discharge of one’s duty towards others in society. If there is no discipline in life, there is anarchy.
Discipline reigns supreme from heaven to earth. For instance, the earth, the moon and the stars move round the sun according to certain specific rules. Even animals are disciplined under the leaders of their herds. The life of bees in a hive is a model of disciplined life. The various organs of the human body co-operate with one another and are disciplined for the growth of the whole body.
There are two main aspects of discipline. One is the moral aspect which is concerned with the individual and his inner qualities. The other is the social aspect which governs the external behaviour of a person in the society.
The training of a child is a good example of discipline in the first sense. To be of any use in human society, a child has to be trained from its early years. The home is the nursery where it receives the first lessons of discipline through obedience to elders. Discipline becomes a matter of vital importance to any educational institution. This is because student life is a period of preparation for the battle of life. There is a greater need for discipline in the society also. A family having no discipline becomes a den of quarrels and is ultimately divided. If the members in a society are undisciplined, it will break up and its progress will be arrested. Lack of discipline among the youth of a country is dangerous to national security. Democracy is a mockery in undisciplined countries and such countries will be ultimately ruled by dictators.