DISCIPLINE IN THE TIME OF CHAOS (Georgia Cane)

  

We are in chaotic times, and as I'm sure you'll agree it's more difficult than ever,  to find a touchstone for grounding and guidance.  Things changed quickly. One morning you're moving through the familiar frequency of the crowded City and by nightfall, it's deserted. 
Soon vacant stores and shuttered bars sit cheek by jowl like remnants of another era, while the odd restaurant grasping to survive,  is a skeletal version of its former self.  Businesses blindly navigate a current of shifting rules and, prepared or not, you may be required to adjust your life at a moment's notice.  But then, life is a challenge; and not so long ago, people believed that challenges built character and that obstacles were made to conquer. This means that the ethics of discipline were once held in high regard and, in fact, science is proving that facing challenges stimulates cell growth in the brain.  However, as a Disciplinarian, it's come to my attention that certain groups no longer practice ethics or were, perhaps, never taught. That's a pity. And while I refrain from blanket statements, it's clear to me that none are in more need of guidance and Discipline than Millenials and Generation X.    

Somewhere along the line, the discipline ball was dropped and the unfortunate result cannot be denied, 

Long-term studies show that GenX (1965-1980) and Millenials (1981 - 1996) are in worse shape than previous generations at the same age.   This includes anxiety, depression, excess alcohol, and drug abuse as well as high blood pressure, cholesterol,  extra belly fat, obesity (heaven forbid), and substances in the blood that suggest chronic inflammation. All this is due to a sorry state known technically as "Physiological Dysgeneration" and, apparently, it began with the Boomer Generation (1946 - 1964) and worsened from there.  This makes sense. 

Before the advent of television, children relied on their imagination and creativity.  They read books that opened a world of improbable heroes and faraway places while toy soldiers and baby dolls came to life through sheer force of will.   

Parents instilled Discipline in their children to prepare for the unseen times ahead. Determination, self-reliance, focus, and grit were taught as basic tools of survival and a spanking  - when needed - was par for the course. When asked if he ever hit his own children, Dr. Benjamin Spock, the famously misunderstood "Pied Piper of Pemissivism" answered. "Sure" but only on occasion. He went on to explain he didn't think corporal punishment was mandatory, but 'parents to whom it seemed natural need not be ashamed of themselves

But unlike Spock, who never called himself a Disciplinarian,  I do; and that said, I firmly believe in the transformative powers of verbal correction and spanking discipline.  

The sting of a belt on an upturned bare bottom,  the burn of a wooden hairbrush, the bare-handed smacks on a sore and red behind, or even the sharp lash of the rattan cane, delivers a charge that will clear the cobwebs, and strengthen the core of any healthy adult male or female.  Confidence returns and the outlook brightens as you come to understand the Stoic principles of fortitude, resilience, and self-restraint.

For all generations, discipline is the protective shield and the weapon of choice in a time of chaos - and with a nicely burning bottom to boot. 

Warm Bottoms,

Georgia Cane