Inspite of the praise showered on man for his orderliness, he is no better than the gramaphone record which has its value when it can be played on a stereo. They do not have the ease and fresh­ness of a street singer who in his freedom can vie with the birds that can chirp on any branch and that does not require the vast expanse of the sky as the skylark does. Poor men of habits carry a dead weight around their necks—weight that checks their flight and free­dom. They may take pride in it though their stifled spirit years for freedom.

Habit is a hard task master ; we cannot go against its dictates without becoming a victim of boredom and uneasiness. An adult in the habit of getting up with the morning star would be fidgety in his seat if he happens to be in an aeroplane at that time. Similarly people given to hard work find it difficult to pass time on a holiday.

Those who say : “Habit is great lubricant, it is a great time saver” have lost their spirit of adventure. They love ease but miss the charms which flow from chaos. Habit makes us mechanical whereas adventure needs courage and results in thrill. It keeps us busy and thus we forget ourselves at least for some time.

Some may think that habits give us an anchorage in life ; without them the young will be rudderless ship at the mercy of wanton currents of time. The actions of such a person will be un­predictable and wayward But habits make us like stagnant waters which cannot flow with the currents of time. In this fast changing world anyone tied to even socially approved habits, will become irrelevant and so useless. They will find themselves out of place in society.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

It is correctly said that even good custom corrupts the society. “When custom—a social habit—is adhered to religiously we can keep the society going but no improvement can be brought about. Habits carve out the contours which determine our thinking and actions.

But the habit of doing a thing at the right moment helps us save time, energy and a debate in our mind. Every one has to be the slave of one’s habits. An iconoclast is also an idol-worshipper things he is not aware of it. Habit is a sort of mental training which prompts correct reflexive action ; as the fingers of an adept typist or that of a consummate satirist more so do the mental chords under the impact of habit. The time that we thus save in thinking can be utilized for other constructive purposes. So all habits may be bad but regulated life is possible only with their help.