As we get older, our lives become more complex. As toddlers, our primary setting is our home, and the people we deal with are limited to family and siblings who care about us, wish us the best and are forgiving and generous. The consequences of misbehavior are also limited, such as getting yelled at by our parents. As we start attending school, the people that we deal with expand to our friends, fellow students and teachers, who are typically not as understanding and generous as our family. We pick up new rules about how to be a good student, and the consequences of misbehavior become more severe—with suspension or failure to graduate on time. As an adult, our environment further expands to include our neighbors, workplace, higher education institutions and government, and we have to deal with people from different backgrounds and cultures. Consequences for our actions also become graver, expanding to include termination, fines and jail sentences. In order to keep the systems and structures running smoothly, rules and discipline are necessary and should be upheld by everyone in society. 

Discipline is needed to alter misbehavior. Although individual freedom should be respected, it should not come at the cost of others’ comfort. By imposing strict rules and disciplining misbehavior, it becomes easier to encourage those who are misbehaving to change their actions. For example, if a student is disturbing their peers and teachers by behaving in a hostile manner, it harms everyone around them. In this case, it is necessary for parents and teachers to step in to provide guidance and discipline to the student. It is very unlikely that the student would automatically grow out of their bad behavior without realizing that what they are doing is wrong and they will have to pay a hefty price for breaking the rules. On the contrary, if the parents and teachers decide to cater to the child’s wishes, it is likely that many people, including the child, will be harmed by people who are not as enduring, generous and forgiving. 

Discipline is needed for maintaining order. Having rules that are rarely obeyed can lead to detrimental results. For example, in the military, it is crucial that all soldiers have an understanding of how to do their job, follow strict rules and respect the authority of their superiors during time of combat. If misconduct and poor performance is indulged, it would be difficult for superiors to establish order and conduct military assignments as planned. The same applies to the workplace. Although many are strong advocates of the idea that “as long as the work is done, when you do it and how you do it does not matter,” it is important that the workplace has its own set of rules that need to be followed. Being too generous with mistakes and creating a loose and unprofessional environment could weaken the authority and power of the leader. Only by creating a professional environment can everyone be protected and efficient. 

Although it is not healthy to think about the future too much, we need to have insight and a generalized plan on how to prepare for it. And to do this efficiently, discipline is necessary. For instance, in order to maintain job stability, we must fight our urge to be lazy and selfish by being punctual, contributing to our company’s goals, being a good colleague and focusing on the tasks given to us. In order to do so, we must voluntarily sacrifice instant gratification that will bring detrimental effects in the long run. Additionally, when saving money we must establish a rule on consumption by holding back the urge to make unnecessary and lavish purchases and saving a certain portion of our income. 

The rules that we follow may seem irrational, and we may struggle to understand the underlying intentions. However, strict rules are what makes it possible for us to have a successful life, protect those around us, prevent conflicts and get things done. For this reason, superiors must ensure set rules are followed and discipline those who do not respect their authority, within reason.