Self control truly is power personified

All of us love freedom. The more the autonomy, the merrier we are. Or, so we imagine, think, or articulate. Yet, it seems ironical, that, at the end of the spectrum, we are fragile on accountability, if not responsibility, and, perforce, flimsy on self control. Just think of yourself spending quick time at the local mall — you shop impatiently, or select something ‘free’ for the price of one, or you hog till you ‘burst’ at the seams. Or, you return home from work and sit in front of the idiot box, attend to your mails and order a pizza because you just don’t have the time to prepare a homemade meal. What started as a good day seems wrecked. This connects to the two sides of the same coin. Freedom and self control balance each other — when there is imbalance, troubles are bound to follow.
Self control holds the key to emotional and physical equilibrium. It is power personified. When one is not driven by the power of self control, one tends to get muffled, or tactless. In other words, you feel stifled and also upset with your own self. The reason being your energy patterns have gone for a toss, or, you have misplaced your ‘hold’ on your inner self. When this happens, you drift against the tide and find yourself detached from the effulgent grace of your emotional wellspring.
Self control is a discipline by itself. It expresses a commitment — the pledge to do things in sync, or with harmony of the spheres. It works in your mind. It also works through the sublime mechanics of your bio-clock. The way you wake up in the wee hours of the morning to meditate. Self control has the same effect of defining your time for work and time to relax. It is also akin to watching a slapstick comedy for half-an-hour and going to bed with a smile on your face. The result is you get sound, refreshing sleep. In addition, you feel revitalised to wade through another day with animated zest and gusto.
Self control teaches us the significance of our journey through time — that life is not a banquet or a carnival, but a proviso. It is what we make of life that determines who we are and what we want, or wish, to be. To achieve such a plateau is not difficult. It is also not easy. Yet, it is attainable, provided we set a pace for ourselves and not ‘shoot from the hip’. Pacing helps us to achieve measured balance — it also aids us to conserve energy and deflect the possibility of a burnout. There is far too much of burnout these days. Blame it on the demands of time, or overwork, not to speak of the pastiche for stress, the outcome is apparent — emotional illness, or chronic physical disease.
Self control is a mode of doing things with a pleasant demeanour — of not getting agitated in an informal tête-à-tête, or becoming belligerent in a business meeting at the workplace. The willpower to stay calm, composed and pleasant is nothing but an extension of being in self control. When you get it right, it is as good as salvaging your personal autonomy. This is not ‘easy come’ and ‘easy go’. You need to hone your self-restraint skills, nurture and allow them to evolve like a novel — or, a story that gets better with every succeeding page. The whole process is self effacing — it plays the role of a healthy aide memoire that tells you that it is important to live in the present moment, not the past or the future, and engage meaningfully — with happiness and optimism — in life.
(The writer is a physician and a doctorate in philosophical literature)

rajgopal.nidamboor@mydigitalfc.com