Promising no easy answers to lifeÆs problems or the processes of mental and spiritual growth, M. Scott Peck (2003) opens his book on love, values, and spiritual growth, The Road Less Taken, with the following statement: ôLife is not easy.ö Life presents each of us with problems, difficulties, and challenges. To Peck (2003) life is a series of problems and he asks, ôDo we want to moan about them or solve them?ö Choosing to solve them requires the development of specific competencies that Peck argues makeup the concept of discipline. Discipline encompasses a set of tools necessary for us to successfully overcome lifeÆs problems, discovering new strengths and healing as we do. According to Peck (2003), discipline encompasses the following tools or ôtechniques of sufferingö that enable us to face problems in a constructive manner: delaying of gratification, acceptance of responsibility, dedication to truth, and balancing.
Peck discusses a variety of concepts in his book, including truth and reality, true love, grace, spiritual growth and the meaning of evil. In so doing he argues that ôUltimately love is everythingö (Peck 2003). Peck equates self-discipline with self-caring. Self-discipline is critical to spiritual and emotional growth which the psychologist views as one and the same. Our first experiences with love and discipline stem from our childhood interactions with our parents. If we experience our parents modeling self-discipline, restraint, and the ability to order their lives, we adopt this as our mode of living. If our parents model a life lacking self-restraint and self-discipline, then we learn to adopt such a manner of living. Peck (2003) believes that the latter condition creates a life of pain, neuroses and inflexible perspective. He argues that psychotherapy enables such individuals to perceive a more accurate perspective of reality, helping them move toward a more balance and responsible personal...