Smacking children is the best way to teach discipline. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Incorporating discipline in children is essential, especially while they are growing up. Few people believe that the best way to achieve this by punishing them physically. I completely disagree with this as using physical power is uncivilized and entirely unneeded. Parenting styles are subjective and vary from family to family. There are many who have been following the method of smacking children in order to rectify their behavior. They believe that causing pain by corporal ways would leave a long lasting effect and children would refrain from repeating the same mistakes. Some people also think that using power would establish authority and as a result create a sense of fear among children. Thus, they would think twice before displaying any sort of bad manners. Although maintaining order and discipline among children is important, controlling them by hitting is absolutely unnecessary. Though this will instigate fear among them, it will ruin the parent-child relationship. They would always be afraid of their parents and in turn might stop sharing their feelings with them. This can adversely affect their state of mind that might eventually lead to psychological disorder and inability to concentrate on studies. Conversely, sometimes such thrashing no longer has any effect and thus they are no more afraid of disrespecting or showing unorderly behavior. This might sometimes lead them to believe that they can obtain anything forcefully by using violence and thus indulge themselves in crime. Also, often parents, while physically punishing the children, unknowingly injure them severely and then regret forever. In my opinion, even though disciplining children using physical power is preferred by some, it is definitely not the correct way as it would leave a negative impact on them.