Life, even in 2021, can be difficult. The spiritual journey is one built on the pain of confronting difficult challenges. In short, discipline is the practice of confronting spiritual challenges. But what exactly is self-discipline, and how can we actually apply it? M. Scott Peck claims that there are four elements of discipline: delay of gratification, acceptance of responsibility, dedication to truth, and balance. By embracing discipline, we can encourage spiritual growth within ourselves and each other.
Alec Peck has been a practicing UU for 23 years, raised in a UU church, chosen by his father, raised Quaker, and mother, raised Jewish (though both Humanist in praxis). Alec has studied natural science at Creighton University, a Jesuit institution, and is now completing his Ph.D. at UC Riverside, while serving as chair of the Worship Committee here at UUCR. As a teenager coming of age in a UU church, Alec’s mentor gave him the book, “The Road Less Traveled” from the church library to read. Since then, this book has been a strong influence on how he views and approaches spiritual growth.
Dr. Morgan Scott Peck was born in New York, 1936. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy but was expelled ]for refusing to attend mandatory R.O.T.C. sessions. He transferred to Harvard, where he received a bachelor’s degree in 1958, and he received a medical degree in 1963 from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Dr. Peck is among the founding fathers of the self-help genre of books. “The Road Less Traveled,” published in 1978, and its later companion volumes have sold more than 5 million copies in North America and have been translated into more than 20 languages.
Topics: Courage, Emotional Health, Motivation/Inspiration, Principle 4. Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations, Spiritual Journey