Inculcating self-discipline as a way of life
The Japanese have been credited with tremendous progress in their economic affairs. There are many reasons attributed to such success -- visionary leadership, their emphasis on technology, and so on. While each of these things are indeed very important, there is one very important aspect of their social life that deserves all the attention -- self-discipline.
Self-discipline spells class at any point in time. Self-discipline is always highly infectious, and it envelops the collective consciousness of each and every individual, as a culture, as a way of life.
Back home in India, it is this lack of self-discipline, that is the cause of many social problems. It is solely responsible for making all public places very dirty, our railway stations very dirty, and for every single incident of violence against women. There has been a total decline in values, but the most important one is that of self-discipline.
Inculcating self-discipline is no rocket science. In many families, children are taught to wash their own clothes, clean up any dust in their homes, keep their books clean, and give respect to others. They are taught how to control anger, as well as become very religious, in terms of understanding the various cultural norms and religious mantras that have to be done. Once all this happens, such individuals also develop a good taste for life and live life the way it should be lived.
So, the actual teaching of such self-discipline should start very early, in homes and in schools. Demonstration of good values also helps to build self-discipline. For instance, if the teacher is himself very disciplined, comes on time, does his teaching on time, and takes a real interest in the welfare of all students, it is very likely that students will hold him in very high respect and start being disciplined themselves.
Self-discipline can also be inculcated, only when there are no bad habits in individuals. It is becoming increasingly clear that those who are addicted to smoking or drinking or to drugs are the worst offenders of discipline. They can never be trusted for any work. They should never be entrusted with any big family responsibility.
There are ways and means in which such bad habits can be given a decent burial, if only the parents and wives of such individuals, take personal interest. For instance, there have been many counselors, who have played a very big role in reforming drug addicts and smokers. There are rehabilitation clinics where reform of such individuals is done systematically. Those having the bad habits should be given a dose of medicine in such places, and once this is done, they will be reformed.
Only good habits can lead to self-discipline, which can lead to very good work as well. In fact, this is increasingly seen in public life as well. For example, a new breed of social entrepreneurs have sprung up in the cities. These are people who have given up the best of highly paid corporate jobs, to take up social entrepreneurship. They have set up vocational training centers for destitute women, they have set up Non governmental organizations that have in turn lead to a huge number of self-help groups, of semi-literate or even illiterate women. Some Government support is also given.
In Tamil Nadu, there are a huge number of self-help groups, that are now into financially viable social ventures. These ventures have helped them to cross many milestones and are instrumental in thousands of families coming out of the poverty line, very quickly. In particular, they are very active in the catering sector. Small hotels have sprung up in several towns. These cater to the lower middle class people, as they offer food items at fairly cheap prices. The women involved meet all their expenses and are able to have good food three times a day, and also divide the profit among themselves.
So, self-discipline can lead to a huge number of good socially relevant initiatives as well. For example, it has been observed that in many cities, the waste generated is not dumped on the streets, but is put into neat plastic covers, daily taken to centers where the plastic waste is taken for recycling and the other waste is converted into manure.
Social customs, that have a huge base in religious practices can also help a great deal. For instance, in Tamil Nadu,there are thousands of temples in which an annual festival is conducted, normally in the month of May, every year. This festival transforms itself into a huge social gathering, where people of all castes and communities get together. Huge amounts of money flow through voluntary contributions, and a huge amount of food is cooked and distributed free to the people who worship the deity on those days. There is a big emphasis on self-discipline, and the participation of women is huge. This is one event that many thousands of people, look forward to, every year.
Hence, a participatory design to involve people at all levels, can indeed help people inculcate self-discipline as a way of life. In fact, it is commonly seen that self-discipline is more among rural people, than among the urban people. People are used to cut corners, more in urban centers. Yet, there are exceptions too. For example, Mumbai is one city where thousands will stand in ques, waiting to board their buses. The auto drivers are very honest too. In many other cities, it is a free- for- all scenario at most bus stops and auto drivers are not only very rude, they also abuse any one who dares to question them.
As a nation, we cannot neglect self-discipline. If we attempt something at a national level, the results will be good. We really need to do something as far as self-discipline is concerned. If there is self-discipline, many other good things will follow, at any point in time.
Like it on Facebook, Tweet it or share this article on other bookmarking websites.