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Thread: True Responsibility and Discipline

  1. #1
    Senior Member Xmac's Avatar
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    True Responsibility and Discipline

    To be able to respond to inner thoughts and outer stimuli instead of reacting is response-able behavior. In responding there is choice, in reaction there is decision which is a form of decide. To decide is to "kill or cut off" one of two outcomes (cide is the suffix meaning to kill, as is found in suicide, genocide, pesticides, etc.). As the masks of drama have a happy and sad face, to "re-act" is to create drama out of "either/or" thinking, as contrasted with the non-violent "choice" which allows the creative to arise.

    Responsibility is to the ability to see choices, and acts that flow from that seeing are without stress, happen of themselves and are frequently novel. It, responsibility, emerges from a mind state, the perspective of which is wholistic and not engaged in ignore-ance. So then, authentic, (using the root aut: self; directed from within, as in authoring and authority) responsible behavior may not appear as the common usage of the word implies since it is the essence of spirit emerging spontaneously in the material world.

    Discipline is a word that has a reputation that can have violent connotations, but actually comes from the word disciple. The most well known disciples were that of Jesus Christ. The disciples were students and followers of the teachings of Jesus. By all accounts they did so with loving devotion and of their own free will. Jesus inspired his disciples and so they learned and some took action that was in accord with that inspiration. This is the true meaning of discipline, not the forciing or punishing that we contrive in ourselves and others.

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    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    Wow, it's been a while, Xmac! Thanks for your thoughts on this.

    For me, as someone whose opening quote in her journal at age 15 was "Life is a series of responsibilities," I agree with much of what you said. (I think other kids my age were saying life is a series of parties, but I guess mine is a typical first-born response).

    When it comes to decisions, one of the most reassuring things about them is, if they are drawn from that inner state, they just feel like the next step. You've already "killed" any other option. I've often told my kids, you know you're making the right decision when it doesn't feel like a decision.

    As for discipline, I agree with you there as well. Your thoughts remind me of Bonhoeffer. Have you read The Cost of Discipleship? A lot about discipleship/discipline in there. Awesome book. I am constantly going back and rereading sections of it.
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
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    Senior Member razz's Avatar
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    That is a very clear outline of the differences between the two. thanks!
    As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

  4. #4
    Senior Member Xmac's Avatar
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    Catherine,
    what you said about decisions is what I see also. Which begs the question are there any decisions or choices being made or is or is it narration after the fact? Thanks for the book recommendation. It'll be interesting to see if I can get to it.

    As I see it, to add a bit more, being truly irresponsible and undisciplined is all about the mindset, not what necessarily happens. I'd venture to say however, that it may look to the casual observer as sensible (another word that seems to stray from its original meaning) and the inverse may look nutty, more often than not.

    It's my reactability for what I believe, and my responsibility for what I know.
    Last edited by Xmac; 9-11-12 at 11:09pm.

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