I would like to talk about three people who I believe, or rather know, had a great deal of self-discipline. The first person is Abraham Lincoln. This is an individual who began life at the absolute bottom rung but who had an unshakeable faith in himself and in his intelligence (forget all the nonsense about Lincoln’s humility). Lincoln had about 9 months of formal education, but on his own taught himself mathematics, Shakespeare, the Bible and the Law! All this was done while working a full time job. This took a tremendous amount of discipline. This discipline enabled Father Abraham to become the type of person that he needed to become to lead our country through the Great Rebellion.
The second person is FDR. This was a man born to great privilege who in his very prime was stricken with polio. His public life seemed over and to a lesser man it would have been over. However, FDR refused to give in to self pity or to a life of indolence and ease which his wealth would have enabled him to. Instead he addressed his disease four square and worked every day of the remainder of his life to maximize his physical capacity. That took a great deal of emotional and physical strength. The result was that FDR went on to become president of this country at a time of great economic crisis and after leading the country through the great depression went on to become the great war leader during the Second World War. All this happened because of FDR’s great discipline.
The third person I would like to mention is my father, John Schuster Sr. My father, who is 85 years mature, went through the Great Depression and the into the military where he served for “the duration”. My father only managed to get through the 7th grade! However, he did not let that stop him. While a young married man, he decided to go to night school in order to better himself and his young family. My father worked a full time job and then went to night school. There was no whining or self pity, no “Why Me” he truly was a child of the depression. He did not think that life “owed” him anything. That took tremendous discipline and the end result was that my father raised, with my mother, six children all of whom have become functioning, successful and contributing members of society. This was a direct result of the discipline that my father had in his life and through his example, taught us to have in our life.