Road Less Traveled :: essays research papers

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELEDDISCIPLINE&9The Discipline section of M. Scott Pecks The Road Less travelled first skunks with demeanors difficulties. He makes it clear that we all tolerate problems and spite exactly we have to deal with it to get by and to make animation less difficult. "Life is difficult... Once we truly know that life is difficult--once we truly understand and accept it--then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters."(p.15)&9The four main points of the Discipline section ar delaying gratification, acceptance of responsibility, dedication to reality and balancing. These four points are referred to as tools to solve lifes problems. By using these tools one is able to overcomeanything that life throws his or her way.&9Delaying gratification as Peck puts it is "a process of scheduling the pain and pleasure of life in such a way as to enhance the pleasure by meeting and experiencing the pain f irst and getting it over with."(p. 19) I feel Pecks point is to save the good thingsfor last so that you can always have something to look forward to and an incentive to finish whatever task is at hand. Good scheduling skills and the lack of procrastination are very important in delaying gratification.&9Responsibility is very important in solving lifes problems. Peck says that we must accept responsibility for a problem forward the problem can be solved. This is a fairly self-evident statement however, many people feel if they put the blame for all their problems off on other people that the problems with miraculously go away. Perhaps they are scared of the pain that the problem will cause, or maybe they just cant handle the stress of the problem. Peck goes on to make it clear that these unresolved problems witheventually catch up to you. Peck then discusses how neurosis and character rowdinesss deal with misplaced responsibility. This misplaced responsibility is either one ex treme or the other. "The neurotic assumes too much responsibility the person with a characterdisorder not enough."(p. 35) &9I feel that responsibility can be directly tied into delaying gratification. The three main problems I see with responsibility are people either denying the fact that a problem exists, taking too much responsibility for the problems that do exist, and knowing the fact a problem exists but putting of solving the problem. The latter of the three main problems is directly related with delaying gratification because it involves putting off the difficult things.