Children, habits play an important role in our life. Good habits align our life in the right direction and lead us to success, whereas bad habits defile the mind and destroy life.
One who wants to enjoy complete freedom in life must ensure that he is not enslaved by habits. This goal is possible only with total awareness in each thought and action. If we keep repeating bad actions, they will become habits. Habit forms our character. Character controls us and we thus lose our freedom.
A man who has the habit of drinking coffee first thing in the morning becomes restless and irritable if he does not get it. Not getting even insignificant things like coffee, cigarettes and the newspaper on time can make the mind fidgety, and we become deprived of joy and contentment.
We have all become enslaved by many such habits. A man retired from the army after 30 years of service, and returned to his village. One day, he went to the market to buy a pot of milk. He placed the full pot on his head, held it there with both hands, and started walking home.
Seeing him, one of the young men standing by the roadside shouted “Attention!” As soon as he heard the word, which had been part of his life for the last 30 years, the retired soldier instinctively dropped his hands to his sides and stood erect. The pot dropped and broke, and all the milk splashed out. The young men started hooting with laughter.
This story illustrates how even insignificant actions can be harmful if done mechanically. Such being the case, one can only imagine how destructive bad habits are.
Once we have become addicted to bad habits, it is difficult to overcome the addiction. To do so, we need to put in constant and conscious effort. By consciously cultivating good habits, we can avoid falling into the trap of bad habits and gain a noble personality.
That said, we must be careful not to let even good habits enslave us. Let us remember that good habits are for us; we are not for them. Suppose a man who always meditates at 8 a.m. has to take his brother who met with an accident to the hospital. His mind should not become unsettled just because he missed his meditation.
Someone who is learning how to swim will first use a life vest to stay afloat. Once he has learnt how to swim, he can dispense with it. Likewise, we must be able to overcome all habits gradually and thus experience total freedom.
One cannot live without being active in some way, whether physically, mentally, or intellectually. Everyone is constantly engaged in some form of action—this is an unchangeable law of Nature. No one becomes pure and selfless overnight. It involves time and concentrated effort coupled with tremendous patience and love.
Do your actions in the world, without forgetting that your final goal in life is to break out of all bondage and limitations. Always remember that you have a higher goal to attain. Simply do what needs to be done, but at the same time, don’t miss the opportunities you come across to perform unselfish actions.
You will then gradually gain mental purity and devotion. As you proceed with diligence, you will attain more clarity of mind and a deeper understanding. This will finally lead you to the state of perfection, the state of Self-realisation.