We often want to be true to ourselves. Unfortunately, the way some people conceive of authenticity places it at loggerheads with discipline. If being authentic means doing whatever we feel like doing, then it seems inauthentic to subordinate our feelings to our intentions, which is the essence of discipline. 

However, discipline seems inauthentic only as long as we labor under an inauthentic understanding of authenticity. Authenticity is far less about acting on our feelings and far more about examining the source of our feelings. To be authentic, we need to peel through the many layers of our superficial feelings till we get to our deep defining aspirations. For example, we may feel like overeating, oversleeping and watching Netflix all day. If we act according to those feelings, are we being true to ourselves? Not at all. We may be true to our present feelings, but do those feelings truly reflect what we really seek or, for that matter, how we would feel about ourselves in the long-run? If our epitaph read, “Here lies a person who spent his life eating, sleeping and watching Netflix,” would we feel good about ourselves? Hardly; we would feel mortified.  

Indeed, our present feelings frequently sabotage our deeper aspirations. Here are some of our probable deeper aspirations: we want to do something meaningful; we want to make worthwhile contributions for improving the lives of those we love; we want to fulfill our potentials, material and spiritual. If we are to do any of these things, we need to discipline ourselves. Pertinently, the Bhagavad-gita states that those who put aside their present likes and dislikes to pursue what is meaningful attain fulfillment (02.54). Thus, discipline is the actual way to be true to ourselves: true to who we really want to be. 

One-sentence summary: 

To be true to ourselves, we don’t have to be true to our present feelings; we need the discipline that helps us stay true to our deeper defining aspirations. 

Think it over:

  • Why might discipline seem inauthentic?
  • How can we know whether our present understanding of authenticity is authentic? 
  • How can discipline help us to be truly authentic? 

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02.64: But a person free from all attachment and aversion and able to control his senses through regulative principles of freedom can obtain the complete mercy of the Lord.

 

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