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                 Recently, I had one of those eye-opening moments where someone said something, and it was like a key turning in my head, unlocking a flood of thoughts that come together to form a very strong impression.  In this case, I was taking my sons to school, and there was an ad on the satellite radio for some program where parents with unruly kids can get their kids fixed in 12 hours or some other such junk.  My older son, who will soon be 15 said, “They don’t need a program, they need their butts kicked.”  It was at this point that a light bulb went off, and I realized that the key to everything I have been writing about lately can be summed up in one word: discipline. 

                The problem with the word discipline is that it has such a negative connotation.  I would not be surprised if the majority of you think of it only as synonymous with punishment.  That is the most common definition in use today, and because of that, most people are discipline averse, and therein lies the very heart of so many of the problems we face today.  We need to re-embrace the original sense of the word, which is to employ systematic instruction to train or to teach people to follow a particular code of conduct.  More importantly, discipline is the assertion of willpower over base desires.  Yet another synonym for discipline is self-control, and it is, in summary, the very act of self-control that we so gravely lack in our lives today.

                Discipline, instead of being looked at as a punishment, should be viewed in a positive light, as an action that improves us a people.  We need discipline in our lives.  We must see it not as the harsh beating that people may associate with it, but as the self-control of setting upon a path and following it through to the end.  Finding our own yellow brick road if you will.

                Over the course of the next few entries, I would like to explore the concept and tenets of discipline.  I want to look at recent history to see if we can determine where we left the path of self control and wandered off into the overgrowth of doing whatever feels good, regardless of the consequences, but to do this, I will need feedback and ideas.  Unlike previous posts where I pontificate on topics near and dear to me, I would really like to have a conversation with readers to get their ideas on this topic, so please, post your comments below. Thanks!