"Discipline is Freedom" - Marco M.

Discipline is Freedom

I have often heard people talk about freedom and discipline as if they are opposing concepts. I believe this unfortunate and still-popular misconception stems from the Sixties, where a kind of spineless, permissive laxity was mistaken for true freedom.

In reality, freedom is a personal achievement that no one can simply grant to another.

A body is truly free when it can express its potential to the fullest, which is only attainable through training which is discipline. Similarly, authentic love, the kind that endures beyond the initial fire of desire, requires both partners to maintain emotional discipline and a continuous commitment to offer the best of themselves, demanding both awareness and discipline.

Contemplation can only exist in a mind that has been disciplined by meditation.

Understanding does not come from the laziness of simply accepting what others claim is true; rather, it is the result of a mental attitude that constantly questions one’s own deeply held beliefs. Action becomes perfect when discipline purifies it of all doubt.

Cultivating the fire of discipline is not a necessary hardship that must be endured simply to reach pleasure and freedom later. The discipline itself is pleasure and freedom. The common motto “no pain, no gain” is false because focused effort is already inherently rewarding, and the fire of discipline is freedom in itself.

m.m.