45. Becoming More Disciplined Through Abstinence And Action

45. Becoming More Disciplined Through Abstinence And Action

Author: Nick Jamell January 8, 2019 Duration: 44:02

I apologize for the 2 week hiatus! Both of the last 2 Tuesdays were Holidays, and with family in town and an unexpected illness, I was unable to do the podcast. I think the break was needed, and I'm ready to get back into it today!

"Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all."
-George Washington

Me: New Years is a good time for resolutions, but what should they look like. I take the approach for myself every Lent to abstain from some things and to build habits. I also try to to work on things in my life of different magnitudes like not biting my nails and praying everyday.

Individual: Discipline reminds us that we need to sacrifice now for tomorrow. We want a retirement fund, but don't want to put away 10% of our money at age 20. That doesn't work. What we find in discipline is the ability to forgo comfort today for a benefit tomorrow, and by doing that we hopefully can learn to forgo trivial things for deeper more meaningful results.

Community: A community-wide mentality of discipline will ensure that people who are able to fend for themselves do, and don't drain the community. It ensures that those who truly need help are the only people that others have to tend to, thus removing the burden of the laggards. There will be people who are struck by tragedy or who have handicaps that prevent them from caring for themselves, and the community can handle these issues without disdain and through empathy for people with a bad lot.

Society: I think what this would do is reduce resentment. Discipline at the individual level allows charity to mostly remain at the local level. If we are helping our own neighborhood or city, we don't have as much disdain for or distrust of the assistance being provided. I don't know where my dollars go in D.C., but I do see local roads being built, new school lunch programs, and the Wheeler Mission food bank by my work.

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Nick Jamell hosts Conversation of Our Generation, a space where urgent contemporary questions meet enduring ideas from history and philosophy. Rather than reacting to the noise of daily headlines, this podcast deliberately steps back to examine the deeper currents shaping our society and culture. Each episode is a long-form dialogue that treats topics like politics, religion, and social change not as fodder for debate, but as puzzles to be understood with patience and intellectual humility. The aim is to move beneath entrenched partisanship and surface-level takes, searching instead for clearer perspectives and foundational truths. What you’ll hear are thoughtful explorations that connect modern dilemmas to the wisdom of ancient and modern thinkers, asking how we might navigate today’s complexities with a more grounded sense of principle. This isn’t about quick answers; it’s about cultivating a more meaningful and less reactive way of engaging with the world. For anyone feeling adrift in a polarized age, this podcast offers a sustained, earnest conversation that values depth over speed, and understanding over winning an argument. Tune in for a respite from the frantic news cycle and a chance to consider what it means to be part of this particular moment in time, armed with the best ideas from across the ages.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 245

Conversation of Our Generation
Podcast Episodes
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232. Unity of Subject and Object [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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231. What is Subjective Reality? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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