It is a holiday. You a have nice, heavy breakfast followed by some potato chips and glass of juice. A couple of hours later you have a heavy lunch, Then some biscuits and jelly. You are tempted to have the ice cream lying in the fridge. Stop! That’s your stomach, not a huge bin. Having no control over what you eat is bad your health. Similarly having no control over that you say or how you behave is bad for you. It is important to watch all your actio9ns and learn to practice self-control. Self-control is also called discipline.
The brightest and the best
Long ago in china, a great teacher had four bright students-Li, Chu, Ming and Chang. Each of the four thought that he was the brightest and the best student. The teacher decided to test them. He told them that they would have to remain silent for two days and nights, and must not speak at all. The one who passed this test would be the brightest and the best.
The four students thought it was a very easy test, though a bit strange. On the first day, they went about their work silently. The whole day went by. Then it was night. They lit a candle and sat silently by its light. Li was thinking about the future and Chu about the past. Ming was reading a book and Chang was busy writing a letter.
Suddenly the candle went out. `Oh, no! The candle is out,’ shouted Li.
`You have lost. You talked!’ laughed Ming.
`Ha, ha! So did you, Ming!’ said Chou.
`Hey! I am the winner! Shouted Chang. `I was the last to break the silence.’
All of them looked at their teacher. `None of you has passed the test’, he said, shaking his head sadly. `You don’t have self-control. You don’t have discipline. You cannot control your self even for two days. To do well in life, you must not only study well, but you also have to be discipline.
Understand
Discipline means doing what you know you should do. It means being regular in you habits. Disciplined people set a time for watching television, for playing games and for studies. They are strict with themselves. We all need to follow rules. Imagine what would happen if there were no traffic lights or traffic policeman!
The sun, moon, stars and planets work in perfect discipline. The sun rises every day without fail. The earth never wanders away from its orbit. Must we not follow their example?
Suppose the sun just did not appear one morning. There would be complete confusion and chaos. Similarly, if we do not practice discipline, there would be complete chaos in our lives too.