Structure of Discipline

As mentioned in the meditation section of this website, results are never instant. The same is true for discipline. Discipline does not come overnight. It can only be improved upon and maintained through daily practice and a diligent attitude. Besides that, there are many things which are needed before anyone may become "disciplined." This ladder should help to explain how the fundamentals of discipline work:

Everything contains Yeum Yang (yin yang) properties. This goes the same for the discipline ladder. The left side contains the Yeum aspects, and the right side has the Yang aspects. 

Nature: Everything starts from here. We are born from nature.

Conscience: You are born with 50% of your conscience, which includes your personality. The other 50% is shaped and molded by your surrounding environment, as you grow up. You are born with the natural aspect, and the "artificial" aspect of your conscience is developed after you are born. You cannot change the part of your conscience that you are born with (Natural.) That is hereditary. Your character can be changed, however. 

Morale: Without a conscience, there are no morals. As you grow up, you learn and develop your morals. In order for one to have proper discipline, it is vital to first build a strong foundation, starting with your character and morale. The Yeum aspect of morale is family. These are the morals you learn at home, and from the people you live with (mainly your mother and father.) On the other end of the scale, one will also learn morals outside of the home Yang aspect). This includes social situations, as well as from school. Morals will be learned from peers, friends and foes alike, teachers, and elders. 

Courtesy: This aspect of discipline involves your basic demeanor, attitude, and personality. The two aspects are talking, and action. When you speak to another person, are you speaking courteously? Do you act courteously, as well? Without these things, there is no respect, and there is no discipline. Some very basic examples of courteous talking would include please and thank you. A few examples of courteous actions would involve holding a door open for someone, or respecting another person's home by not eating all their food and trashing their place. Vandalizing a place or property is an example of discourteous actions. Without any morals, it simply is not possible to maintain courtesy in either talking, or actions.

Respect: Many times, people will claim that they are well-respected, or perhaps that they are very respectful. Merely stating such things will not earn you respect, and it is not sufficient to maintain respect for other people. First of all, there is respect for yourself, and respect for others. One must understand that if you do not respect yourself, then you cannot respect others, and vice versa. If you do not respect other people, how can you respect yourself? Some examples of self-respect include good self-esteem, proper hygiene/diet, and proper exercise. If you take any kind of drugs, including tobacco and alcohol, then you are not respecting yourself. If you do not respect yourself, it is impossible to respect others. Respect for other people involves being polite and courteous to other people, in both talking and action. If you say something negative, or mean-spirited about someone else, then you are not showing proper respect for them, as a person. If someone angers you, or causes you to become upset, then calling that person names or putting them down is not respectful. Just because someone may be a bully, doesn't give you the right to be disrespectful or discourteous. One must learn to practice self-control in such matters, because once you have been disrespectful to another, then you are losing your own discipline and self-respect. If you do not have proper morals and courtesy, then it is impossible to respect yourself, or others.

Discipline: Once all of the previously mentioned aspects are practiced and maintained, then it is possible to build proper discipline. On one side, we have patience. This involves the maintenance of a peaceful and calm mind, when facing certain periods of time. Balance must be maintained, and rushing into things is not congruent with good discipline. Also, nothing is instant. Many people look for instant gratification, or over-night results. These things are not possible, and unrealistic. Take the martial arts, for example. No one becomes a Master overnight. It is vital that one maintains patience and diligence, because it takes at least a decade of hard work and daily practice before one can become a true Master. The yang aspect of discipline is control. If you do not control yourself, and act before thinking, then your mental condition is not a whole lot better than that of an animal. One must think about the consequences of certain actions, and use their mind. Living for the moment is no way to improve your life. With all of these things built up to discipline properly and then maintained, then one may improve their quality of life.

The above information is taken, in part, from the book "Martial Arts Education"

"Martial Arts Education" ©1986, 1990 by Kyong Sik Song. All Rights reserved. No part of the book "Martial Arts Education" may be used or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage of retrieval system, without permission in writing from Edward K. Song (Kyong Sik Song.)                                         

First addition, 1986. 

Second addition, 1990.