SEC | S11W3-""Discipline""

Discipline is the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behaviour, using punishment to correct disobedience. (Oxford languages)

Paul forced himself to do what was right even when he may have felt inclined to do otherwise. (1 Corinthians 9:27)source

How do you view discipline?

Based on the context of the engagement. Discipline, I see discipline as the art of training individual or children to be obedient to certain codes of conduct or behaviour, sometimes using punishment to ensure strict adherence to rules and regulations, doing so out of love and with a view to correct and not out of hate.

Discipline can come in various forms, it can come in the form of moral suasion or persuasion, it could be limiting your freedom engaging in certain things or it could be outright punishment by spanking.

Whatever form it takes, discipline is done to ensure correction of an indecent habit or behaviour.

Discipline can also be applied to oneself so as to be able to achieve a set goal or objective.

Have you been disciplined before or have you ever disciplined someone?

Any one alive today that have not been disciplined simply means that no one loves him. I was disciplined several times by my parents, aunties and Uncles, who I lived with when I was young.

Now that I have grown up and have my own children, I also discipline them So that they will have good morals and earn the respect of people when they go outside the home.

Do you consider discipline as love or hatred despite how it is given?

The truth about this is that when we are receiving or being disciplined , it is never a happy moment. Most at times, we tend to curse and hate the person disciplining us.

However, after sometimes, when you must have grown up, you will now come to appreciate the person who did that.

True, no discipline seems for the present to be joyous, but it is painful; yet afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11)

In life, we want to succeed, we want to have peace of mi d and we want to be responsible, hence, only discipline can help us to achieve all that.

And those who give it loves us if in the end, we allow ourselves to be trained by it.
So, discipline is an act of love irrespective of how it was given.

Do you think discipline is beneficial to kids?

Discipline is very important for children. This is because children are very tender and inexperienced in life. In the Holy book, they are likened to as an arrow that needs to be guided to hit its intended target. So they need to be guided, taught what is good and bad, in order to have responsible adult when they grow.

Kids also have foolish ideas and thinking abundant in their heart, so they need discipline to remove such foolishness from their hearts. Kids will always be kids and as such, they need guidance to grow into responsible adulthoods. Discipline can do the magic.

I agriculture, there is this practice called staking which farmers employ. What they do is, they look for a stick and use it to stake crops whose leaves crawl on the ground. If the staking is done earlier at a very tender age, the plant will follow the stakes easily. But if it is done lately, the leaves can break. So, it goes with kids. If discipline starts early at their tender age, it will be easier to catch them young and direct them properly. And they will grow to be grateful and responsible. So, Just like we stake those plants to help them grow and have a strong stem, likewise, the discipline provided acts like a stake to help them grow well.

Your personal advice to those who give discipline and to those who receive it."

• For those in the position of administering discipline, it should be done with love and understanding. Discipline should never be given when you are annoyed.
  It should be given when there is calmness of heart since the children will find it easier to accept the discipline under that condition.

Since the essence of discipline is to direct and correct, any discipline given should be targeted at that. We should also vary the method of discipline according to the child, circumstances and age.

It is vital to let the child understand the reason for the discipline. It doesn't matter if the child accepts it or not because at that particular time, the child may not see the need for the discipline but with the authority one has been bestowed on, we can go ahead to give the discipline out of love.

• For those receiving discipline, it should be viewed as an act of love and not hatred. Even the Holy scriptures said that he whom God lives, he disciplines. So anyone who disciplines us should be valued and viewed as our best friend who cares deeply about us.

I can remember one occasion when someone shouted at me embarrassingly to get out of the road. I jumped across the drainage before me only for a vehicle to crash at exactly the place where I was standing before the shout came. At that moment, I was very grateful to the passerby that had shouted at me knowing that he had saved my life. It would have been stupid of me if I had blamed the man for embarrassing me at that moment. That was a form of discipline to me at that moment.

Though sometimes, those who give discipline may not give it perfectly, it is vital that we still accept it and pray that God help them to do it the right way. Remembering that their efforts are geared towards our well being, we will always be grateful that they made efforts to help us.

Conclusion

Discipline is vital and important for everyone, whether as an adult or a child. Administering discipline is an expression of love and concern to those we cherish.
When we are disciplined, we should not look at how we were disciplined but what change we are expected to make.