When checking my Yahoo emails in the morning, I always inevitably pass by the news section on the front page. I almost never actually read the articles, though—until recently. I was struck by the title and could not help but click it. My approach was certainly one of skepticism—clickbait is all too common on the Internet—but to my surprise, the article provided quite a good message.
The article is entitled “A Christian Tradition That Can Teach You Discipline Even If You Aren’t Religious.” Author Sean Kernan reflects on the practice of Lent in the Christian faith, emphasizing the value of discipline and of denying oneself. Particularly of note is his section “Newfound Freedom Instills Bad Habits,” in which he describes his life as a college student with the phrase, “you quickly learn that freedom carries a cost if you aren’t careful.”
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The transition from high school to college is often marked by a stark gain of freedom for young adults. Even more for those who choose to live in the dorms. It is no one’s responsibility but your own to show up to class, make yourself food, get your homework done, and not stay up too late. And there is no one around to tell you not to drink, to party, to take drugs, and to spend excessive amounts of time on social media or gaming.
This taste of freedom sometimes provides students with the opportunity to mature, to take charge of their lives, and to make important, adult decisions. However, it often also comes with a cost. Take, for instance, the CBS News reports of abusive and dangerous hazing practices at fraternities and sororities at the University of Maryland in March. Also of note are arrests associated with college campus riots, including a Washington Post report published in May regarding anti-Israel protests. This report noted over 2,000 riot-associated arrests, touting the concern of “creating distractions or dangers to students.”
When is a lack of rules empowering, and when is it detrimental? Cognitive scientists have continuously shown that the human brain does not fully finish forming until around a person’s mid20s. In addition, the final portion of the brain to develop is the prefrontal cortex, which is associated with decision-making, rational thought, and planning behaviors. Therefore, although the law makes it appear that humans have reached complete adulthood by the age of 21, humans still have a certain level of mental maturity to achieve, especially associated with making sound decisions.
Fostering discipline plays a key role in developing maturity in any human being. The positive outcomes of discipline are profound, ranging from increased productivity, reduced lateness, more balanced emotions, and increased health. Individuals who practice discipline demonstrate behaviors that are highly valued in society, in both personal and professional life. The secret to young adult college students who show exceptional maturity, as demonstrated through consistent academic performance—never missing deadlines, always reading all instructions and rubrics for assignments, etc.—excellent manners, emotional and verbal control, and high productivity and involvement, is discipline.
Some individuals are lucky enough to have received discipline training in childhood and adolescence through a combination of parental and/or mentor instruction, academic environment, and involvement in one or more extracurricular activities. Others, however, enter college with a poorly developed sense of discipline. Since cognitive science shows that college-age students are still impressionable, college could be the perfect place for discipline development.
In the world of Christian higher education, traditional, orthodox Christian colleges are often marked by a specific set of rules and requirements as set forth by the Scriptures. Substances are not allowed on campus, including both drugs and alcohol. Students who are legally of age and who choose to drink must do so off campus. Greek life is nonexistent in favor of traditional clubs and honor societies, which limit destructive hazing rituals. In addition to this, good Christian schools set in place chapel and volunteerism requirements to foster—you guessed it—discipline.
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I get it. Rules aren’t fun. They can make young adults feel boxed in like they are mere children again. I have had my occasional qualms with my Christian university’s “quota” system for chapel and volunteer credits. “I have to study for midterms, and I’m obligated to attend chapel this week to obtain my 12 credits for the semester?” “I need to be in the lab working on my research project right now, not sitting in the chapel just to check off the box!” I know many of my friends have shared similar sentiments.
At the end of the day, though, I know both my friends and I would agree that those times we were “forced” to attend chapel or fulfill our volunteer requirements, we felt refreshed and satisfied. And we were ultimately grateful to be forced to exercise discipline, even though we most likely did it begrudgingly and complained the whole way through.
I believe there is exceptional value in the rules set forth by orthodox Christian universities as they train young adults to walk away with a greater sense of discipline. I also agree that sometimes this can be taken too far and that a fine line exists between discipline-fostering and handholding, which can reverse affect maturity development. However, at the end of the day, when Christian universities set forth an environment that fosters discipline, the Bible verse Hebrews 12:11 holds true: “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
Image by lobro — Adobe Stock — Asset ID#: 429275690
