THE Bible in Hebrews 12 verse 11 says: “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.”
Furthermore, Proverbs 25 verse 28 says: “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.”
Remez Sasson, in his online article on self-discipline says self-discipline is one of the most important and useful skills everyone should possess. He says this skill is essential in every area of life, and though most people acknowledge its importance, very few do something to strengthen it.
“Contrary to common belief, self-discipline does not mean being harsh towards yourself, or living a limited, restrictive lifestyle. Self-discipline means self-control, which is a sign of inner strength and control of yourself, your actions, and your reactions. Self-discipline gives you the power to stick to your decisions and follow them through, without changing your mind, and is therefore, one of the important requirements for achieving goals.”
We believe self-discipline is important at this time when the world is battling to control the spread of the deadly coronavirus, with almost all the countries across the globe under lockdown. Last Friday, President Mnangagwa announced a 21-day lockdown in the country, which started last Monday. The move is meant to reduce the spread of the disease, and give medical experts an opportunity to identify those infected with the virus so as to give them the necessary care and support.
While the majority of the population took heed of the instruction to stay at home, we note there are some people who have violated the lockdown rules and laws.
Such conduct is uncalled for, as it frustrates the efforts by the Government to ensure that the country is safe from the virus. It therefore shows that there are some among us who do not want to practice self-discipline, and they are advised to change their ways and do the right thing — to stay at home.
As of last Thursday, a total of 485 people had been arrested countrywide as police cracked down on citizens wantonly disregarding the 21-day lockdown that requires them to stay at home. A majority of those who were arrested were fined between $200 and $500. In addition, police announced that they have since deployed more teams and set up more roadblocks to discourage people from moving to the city centre.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi told our sister paper, Chronicle that it was disheartening that some citizens wanted to move aimlessly instead of complementing Government’s regulations to fight the spread of Covid-19.
“They were arrested for violating the Statutory Instrument (SI) that was put by the Government that is SI 83 of 2020. You also have people committing traffic offences, operating shebeens, that is basically the nature of the offences that people have been arrested for. We are saying people should just comply, there is no need for people to play with their health. There is no need for the people to disregard measures that have been put by the Government so that the nation will be able to contain Covid-19 virus,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.
He added that people should stop coming up with flimsy excuses just to defy Government’s regulations.
“There are exemptions that have been put by Government and people must just stick to those unless if there are reasonable or traceable requests to be moving around. But so far most of the requests are not genuine,” he said.
In order for the lockdown to be successful, everyone must play their part. Citizens must understand that by staying at home, they are not doing anyone a favour, but they are doing it for the sake of their own health and safety, and that of their loved ones. Parents and guardians must also make sure that they keep their children at home, as it has been observed that children were going about their daily business, playing in the streets as if all was normal.
Most countries across the globe have come down hard on offenders, with some sent to jail for violating lockdown rules.
As highlighted by our farming columnist in today’s issue, violating the national lockdown because you find it painful to stay in your own home is akin to a malaria patient who spits out the chloroquine tablet because it has a very bitter taste. Swallowing it is the only way you will get healed so man it up!