Thursday, January 15, 2009

Sorry, Jesus

Sadly, I have inherited a bad habit from my father which will terrorize me for as long as I let it: I have a recurring knack of procrastinating everything. From homework to hobbies, everything seems to be left for the last possible moment. I have faith that I can someday free myself, but I lack the will power required to do so. This causes my discipline to be close to nonexistent.
Presently, today’s culture tends to merge towards the procrastination education. I now realize that by lying to myself and postponing my duties, I am hurting no body but myself. Arjuna then explains something that nobody likes to be told, and commonly refuses to do so: Their weaknesses and their consequences. “Doomed by his double failure, is he not like a cloud split apart, unsettled, deluded on the path of infinite spirit?” (6.38) We can interpret Arjuna’s teaching in a variety of ways. One of which, is that while someone may gain a defeat (for they are said to be the be best outcome in terms of learned lessons), it is not a victory unless they learn from it. If they don’t, then they have achieved a double defeat: The one which had potential, and the one on which the battle depended. The physical outcome, and the lesson obtained from it, respectively. Errors are bad only if we don’t analyze them.
We won’t gain anything through simple faith (I’m sorry to break it to you, Jesus), but rather if we will to gain it and act through that will. By the rigorous practice of will and then action, discipline is achieved. And with discipline, anything can be earned. Today, unfortunately, I can count those with true discipline with my fingers alone.

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