As reviewed in the discussion about Freedom, one’s range of motion is directly proportional to one’s freedom. However, a broad range of movement alone is not sufficient; more than just a broad range of movement is needed in order to establish freedom. For example, if you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a vast, open space, with no barrier to your movement, you have a broad range of movement but you are not necessarily free. You could be lost, and thus trapped in the middle of nowhere. To influence your position meaningfully you need something that would make it possible to design your movement: You’ll need a map. Otherwise, while you may be able to move without restriction, your movement will be without aim. Aimless, and thus purposeless movement, even if unrestricted, does not constitute freedom.
A more pedestrian example is “Choice Paralysis” a psychological term that refers to an inability to move at all as a result of having too many options to choose from. Choice paralysis is a fairly common experience to new-comers to the USA, the land of the super-plenty. I experienced choice paralysis the first time I walked into an American grocery store (in Boston, MA). I felt paralyzed by what seemed like infinite array of options to choose from. I literally had to turn around and leave the store empty handed. I quickly figured out that showing up to the store armed with a shopping-list made all the necessary difference. The shopping list is a map. A map makes navigating through the vastness feasible. It enables exerting deliberate influence over one’s position — it is liberating.
In the pursuit of happiness the map is one’s inner discipline. Cultivating inner-discipline is the way to invest in one’s own freedom.
Discipline can be defined as the capacity to follow a rule over time (in contrast with obedience, which is the capacity to follow a rule at a point in time). There are four variants of discipline, which will become apparent as we explore the word ‘rule’.
Firstly, rules come from somewhere; they have a point of origin. For each of us, rules can originate either from within one’s own brain or from without. When the rule comes from within, the resulting discipline is inner, or self-discipline. When the rule comes at you from outside your own brain you are being disciplined. Note that a rule can start externally and be “internalized”. For example, devoutly religious people internalize the rules of their religion; following the rules then becomes an inner-disciplinary experience. Similarly, devout military personnel tend to internalized the rules of their military and ultimately experience following them as exercising inner-discipline.
Secondly, a rule — like a recommendation, is a recipe for some behavior, some conduct. Rules however differ from recommendations in that if you don’t follow the recipe when you are dealing with a recommendation there are no consequences. Not so when you are dealing with a rule. By definition, if you are dealing with a rule, not following the recipe — a failure to follow a rule, triggers some form of consequence. There are two kinds of consequences. Non-punishing and punishing. Or, in other words, compassionate and discompassionate. (For an explanation of what compassionate, i.e., non-punishing, consequences are see the Practice section discussion of Cultivating Inner Discipline.)
Thus we arrive at the four types of discipline — Compassionate inner-discipline (or non-punishing inner-discipline), Discompassionate inner-discipline (or punishment based inner-discipline), Compassionate external-discipline, and Discompassionate external-discipline.
The four variants of discipline vary greatly in their impact on freedom. Compassionate inner-discipline is the most effective way to grow and protect freedom.
External discipline that is applied without compassion, i.e, with the threat of punishment, has the opposite effect. It reduces freedom. Unfortunately, this is the type of discipline with which we are most familiar (which explains why most people have a negative association with the term discipline).
The two middle variants’ impact on freedom is somewhere in between, depending on the specific nature of the rule and the punishment involved. Discompassionate inner-discipline is inner discipline that relies on self inflicted punishment. Examples of self-inflicted punishments include name calling (because I didn’t follow my own rule I am weak, stupid, worthless, ugly and unloveable), negative future-tripping (because I didn’t follow my rule I will never amount to anything, I will never succeed at anything) and depriving oneself (because I didn’t follow my rule I will not eat dinner, or I will cancel the plans to go out with my friends) and worse (various forms of self harm, from subjecting oneself to grueling, unhealthy physical activity to self injurious behavior such as inflicting cuts or burns). Compassionate external-discipline (i.e., external discipline that does not rely on punishment) is applied such that the consequence for breaking the rule is an analysis of the circumstances that led to it. (As mentioned above, the concept of compassionate consequences is discussed in detail in the Practice section.)
Inner-discipline, even if discompassionate, and external discipline, as long as it is compassionate, that employ healthy, functional rules and limited (non-injurious) punishment can have a positive impact on freedom. These types of discipline are sub-optimal but, in terms of cultivating freedom, they are superior to an altogether lack of discipline.
The link between discipline and freedom is very strong. Where there is freedom, there is discipline. For example, financial freedom (e.g., the freedom to buy the things you want) you must have financial discipline. Freedom in a relationship depends on having discipline in it. The freedom to express yourself artistically requires the discipline of practicing the art form, and so on.
Perhaps more importantly, the link between discipline and freedom works in the other direction as well. The most effective way (if not the only way) to address a lack of freedom is to cultivate inner discipline. This principle holds regardless of the circumstantial details. Whatever the trap is — from a writer’s block to a dead-end job to the nightmare of an addiction, the only to get free is to cultivate inner discipline.
(This section is complementary to the Cultivating Inner Discipline chapter in the Practice section, which you can reasonably skip to now by clicking on the following link: https://whatilearnedsofar.com/practice/cultivating-inner-discipline/.)