Habits

Who are we? The best answer to that question that I have heard (and believe) is that we are a collection of our habits. If you look at our past and quantify the things we do in certain situations, you are able to ascertain what we will do in the future. Our habits are who we are. However, a “habit” isn’t something tangible, it isn’t real, it is just a metaphysical idea. And because it isn’t real, it can be changed easily, meaning that we could, if we choose to, change ourselves into almost anything (or anyone to be more precise). My point is that nobody is confined to what they believe as their innate self. Some people say that certain clothes are not “them”, but what does that mean? If they wore the clothes in a consistent way (as a habit) that it would become “them”. The same goes for people who identify themselves as brave, shy, smart, scared, artistic, or just about any other verb to describe a person. Anyone can be brave if they act brave, and since there is no physical restriction on doing so then nobody should be limited, or forced, to be some other way. Even identities like intelligent or artistic can be achieved by almost anyone. Maybe some people don’t have good natural math skills, but they can read more books, learn another language, audit classes, and “become’ intelligent. Similarly people can find a way of expressing themselves artistically (although they may not be great, anyway can be good with practice). Of course, there are some identities that are not a matter a habit; some people are bluebloods, or beautiful, and associate their identity with their ethnicity, but those are somewhat rare exceptions. In the end, we “choose” to be who we are. And we can “choose” to be something else simple by changing our habits. I’m not saying I want to change, but it makes me feel better that I could. It also makes me sad that some people are disappointed in their “self” and think that they are stuck with their current habits. So the next time you see someone who you want to be, just figure out their habits and feel free to emulate them. Feel free to feel free.