“We’re stronger than things are terrible.” -@jordanbpeterso…

The reason that those born between 1900-1927 are “The Greatest Generation” is because of the characteristics they developed through suffering.

They were raised during the Great Depression, then were the primary fighters in World War II.

The hardships and suffering of the twentieth century was unprecedented.

To contrast, as we have entered the twenty-first century, we now experience unprecedented levels of comfort.

Our aptitude for greatness is directly tied to our ability to withstand suffering.

Comfort creates a society of unhappy narcissists.

Today we are trapped in loops of vanity based on minor empirical achievements over one another.

This achievement-based fulfillment is why we base our self-worth on our social and intellectual status over others.

During World War II, our grandparents destroyed unspeakable evils.

Today we only destroy ourselves through mindless indulgence.

In every case, comfort leads to castration.

If our environment is only acting as a selfish playground for the senses then we must alter our environment.

This can only be done through discipline.

Discipline creates suffering.

However, it is a necessary suffering as it is productive and prevents our castration or death.

It also prepares us for life’s pivotal moments where we must march into battle and face our dragons.

You choose whether you march in unarmed.

This is done through awareness and insight.

Yes, it’s a good idea to:

Wake up earlier
Start working out
Read more
Watch less tv
Eat healthier

But it’s even more important to understand yourself and why you only do the things you know you SHOULDN’T do.

This starts with asking yourself why you are acting the way that you are.

Why aren’t you working out?
Why are you eating badly?
Why are you watching porn?
Why are you getting enraged?

At the root, you’ll find the seven deadly sins:

Lust
Envy
Pride
Sloth
Greed
Wrath
Gluttony

Are just impulses that you mindlessly act upon.

Discipline creates an environment where these impulses can be used towards productive means.

“We’re stronger than things are terrible.”

However, our environment is making things terrible over the long run.

We don’t recognize we’re being boiled alive because the temperature only turned up once we got in.

We can choose to suffer slowly in an environment created by others, leading to our castration and death

Or we can choose to suffer in an environment created by ourselves,
leading to our discipline and self-conquest.

The pain of discipline lightens the pain of life.