Discipline
One day you drive down the road relaxed and feeling good. Then out of clear blue sky the thought pops into your head "Buckle Up!" .
- "What ?" - you think to yourself - "I was cruising along just fine. Why the hell should I buckle up now? Neah, I'll be fine!".
Then a minute later - *CRASH*BOOM*BANG*$%^^%%^#$@$#^.... Ooopsie, you dead. Shoulda buckled up, while you could.
Our body advises us what to do all the time, but our reason kicks in, trying to fit it into its picture of things, and fails, since it did not come from the reason itself. Then it concludes that since its not something that fits into its picture of the world, it does not warrant an attention, congratulates itself and proceeds with whatever it was doing before. Then we say to ourselves: "Yeah, I should have done that, but it was not something I wanted at the time", Or "I was busy with something else", or "I was watching TV", and as the result we never do what our silent self tells us, but instead do what the reason wants to do. So the discipline really is actually listening to your body, your silent self, and get off your arse, and go do what it tells you to, no matter how out of place it may seem.
"Hot Shots: Part Deux" :
Man standing on the platform by the entrance to the train car, reading paper.
Conductor comes out, shouts into his ear: - "Board! Board!"
Man with newspaper gives him a look, annoyed, continues reading newspaper.
Two guys come along, carrying large board, hit man with newspaper on the head. Man keels over.
Conductor comes out: - "Told ya! Warned you twice!"
Appropriate quotation :
"It doesn't make any difference," he said to me one time, "how good a reader you are, and how many wonderful books you can read. What's important is that you have the discipline to read what you don't want to read. The crux of the sorcerers' exercise of going to school is in what you refuse, not in what you accept."
...
"The only alternative left for mankind," he continued, "is discipline. Discipline is the only deterrent. But by discipline I don't mean harsh routines. I don't mean waking up every morning at five-thirty and throwing cold water on yourself until you're blue. Sorcerers understand discipline as the capacity to face with serenity odds that are not included in our expectations. For them, discipline is an art: the art of facing infinity without flinching, not because they are strong and tough but because they are filled with awe."
CC "The Active Side Of Infinity"
.
- "What ?" - you think to yourself - "I was cruising along just fine. Why the hell should I buckle up now? Neah, I'll be fine!".
Then a minute later - *CRASH*BOOM*BANG*$%^^%%^#$@$#^.... Ooopsie, you dead. Shoulda buckled up, while you could.
Our body advises us what to do all the time, but our reason kicks in, trying to fit it into its picture of things, and fails, since it did not come from the reason itself. Then it concludes that since its not something that fits into its picture of the world, it does not warrant an attention, congratulates itself and proceeds with whatever it was doing before. Then we say to ourselves: "Yeah, I should have done that, but it was not something I wanted at the time", Or "I was busy with something else", or "I was watching TV", and as the result we never do what our silent self tells us, but instead do what the reason wants to do. So the discipline really is actually listening to your body, your silent self, and get off your arse, and go do what it tells you to, no matter how out of place it may seem.
"Hot Shots: Part Deux" :
Man standing on the platform by the entrance to the train car, reading paper.
Conductor comes out, shouts into his ear: - "Board! Board!"
Man with newspaper gives him a look, annoyed, continues reading newspaper.
Two guys come along, carrying large board, hit man with newspaper on the head. Man keels over.
Conductor comes out: - "Told ya! Warned you twice!"
Appropriate quotation :
"It doesn't make any difference," he said to me one time, "how good a reader you are, and how many wonderful books you can read. What's important is that you have the discipline to read what you don't want to read. The crux of the sorcerers' exercise of going to school is in what you refuse, not in what you accept."
...
"The only alternative left for mankind," he continued, "is discipline. Discipline is the only deterrent. But by discipline I don't mean harsh routines. I don't mean waking up every morning at five-thirty and throwing cold water on yourself until you're blue. Sorcerers understand discipline as the capacity to face with serenity odds that are not included in our expectations. For them, discipline is an art: the art of facing infinity without flinching, not because they are strong and tough but because they are filled with awe."
CC "The Active Side Of Infinity"
.