THE MOUNTAIN OF ICE

I am a fan of Jocko Willink’s theory that “by consistently applying discipline, you are free from impulses, distractions, and the negative consequences that result from a lack of control over yourself and your actions.” Per Jocko: discipline equals freedom.

I like that formulation but see it a little differently. It is not that discipline equals freedom but that it provides freedom. The more disciplined a man is in his efforts to Accelerate his Fitness, Fellowship and Faith the more liberated from the worries and temptations of this World he will find himself.

The most elemental example of this theory is what in F3 we call the Queen: the daily discipline over what we put into our bodies. A man who disciplines his consumption of food and alcohol will find himself liberated from the tyranny of sloth and gluttony. If he takes that same discipline into his Fellowship and Faith, he will be provided the freedom he needs to effectively Lead. He will find that discipline provides freedom.

But that freedom has a byproduct. A man released from the shackles of his own disobedience finds that he must begin working to help other men gain their freedom as well. I say “must” because that compulsion is ingrained in the heart of man in the form of courage, strength, and commitment. These are the Three Dots of masculinity. The beggar who finds a crumb cannot help but want to tell the other beggars about it. In this way, freedom produces responsibility.

With responsibility comes both a benefit and a burden. The benefit is that a man becomes purposeful. He no longer lives solely for himself but rather in a state of selfless concern for the welfare of others. There is joy in that, a lightness in being that is inexplicable to a man who has not felt it because it surpasses human understanding. The burden is that he now cannot backslide because he will suck other men down with him. He will find that responsibility is a mountain of ice upon which he is either ascending or falling. There is no stopping to rest because stopping is falling.

To continue the climb, he will need the crampons of not just consistent discipline but increasing discipline. Like a sherpa hoisting a heavier load he will find what worked yesterday is not enough today. Thus, the freedom that was provided by discipline has produced responsibility that now requires discipline in increasing measure.

On the mountain of ice, discipline provides freedom, freedom produces responsibility, and responsibility requires discipline.