It's the Habits, Stupid

Habits shape our lives and impact not only individuals but also organizations, communities, cities and even nations. Habits are influenced by one’s value system and impact how good or bad a life we live. We get our values from our parents, family, school, teachers, leaders, gurus, colleagues and friends. Simple things like being on time, not breaking traffic rules, studying, exercising, helping others etc. are good habits, Reverse of these are the bad habits. If we know good habits are good for us, why do we pick bad habits. Simple, bad habits often give temporary pleasure, expediency and short term advantage. Going through a red light may give you temporary time advantage. People dodge tax if they feel no one will catch them. Lost tax revenue is the cost everyone pays for this bad habit of few.  

Habits are formed early in life like our value system. Over time, habits become standard operating procedure (SoP) for individuals as well as communities, nations and even global ecosystems. Recent pounding of Gaza strip killing innocent citizens, reckless election rallies in India or using teachers on election duties started as bad habits, now are SoPs and have now hurt big time. On the other hand, discipline and courage shown by Indian Navy & Coast Guard in rescuing people from Barge 305 or dedication shown by the frontline workers during the pandemic are shining examples of excellent SoPs and the value system. 

Industries also create good or bad habits. Indian Software industry has been built on meritocracy by qualified and competent people with foresight. Results are there for everyone to see. On the other hand, public health infrastructure in India and its multidimensional failure due to low priority and negligence by politicians is also for everyone to see. Real estate and construction industry could have been lot better, had it not developed some of the bad habits. 

People pay a heavy price for their bad habits like not following Covid-19 guidelines has cost people their lives. Here are some bad habits (List can grow) that immediately come to mind:

1. Bribing. It is a bad habit one picks seeing other do it and get away with it. But it costs the character and does serious damage to the entire community. 

2. Ignoring safety norms by hospitals, restaurants, hotels resulting in fires taking lives of many people many times, not just pandemic times. 

3. Giving teachers election duty, causing damage to schools. This bad habit has become a SoP in India. 

4. Poor lifestyle habits increasing the intensity of the Covid-19 disease broke the national healthcare infrastructure and caused permanent loss of loved ones. 

5. Indifference to Covid-19 guidelines by people leading to super spreading of the disease. 

6. Voting along community lines by individuals and exploiting of that mindset by politicians. 

7. Announcing payment to victims of an accident, riot etc. but not paying on time is a bad habit of Indian politicians. 

8. Complex tendering process in India has caused delays in implementing Oxygen plants in hospitals. It is not just the Government but bad habits of vendors to manipulate tender specifications, choosing lowest cost bidder ignoring quality has cost serious damage.

9. Gathering sycophants may make leaders feel great for a while but it costs them their position 

10. Misusing permanent membership in UN Security Council in a biased and unjust manner by powerful nations

11. ++, many more!

In spite of creation of immense wealth and benefits of technology, there is restlessness around the world. It is time we take stock of all of bad habits that have caused this restlessness and get rid of the bad habits for the good of the humanity. 

 

It is breathing, people

Corona virus has brought out our strengths and exposed our weaknesses in a manner like never before. One of the weaknesses and should I call it a bad habit, is today’s lifestyle when even breathing, so fundamental to living has become an issue or a skill to be learnt. 

In India, if people who got Covid -19 knew simple breathing techniques and had sound breathing habit, many of them would not have required an oxygen concentrator or a cylinder. That would have eased the burden on the system across the country. My brother-in-law (Rajani’s brother) got Covid-19. He was in home isolation. His oxygen level dropped to 92 / 91. The doctor cautioned us that if the Oxygen level does not go up, he needs to be hospitalized. Being aware of proper breathing and other techniques through “Pranayama”, he got his oxygen level to 93/94 in a day and past 95 next day. 

If you do any form of exercise and / or housework you know how critical the ability to breath is. Breathing is not rocket science. There are few basic things. First, belly has to expand while inhaling and contract while exhaling. Secondly, breathing should be slow and rhythmic. Finally, chest up when inhaling and as said before, belly in when exhaling. People often do the opposite i.e. they contract while inhaling. In addition, we do shallow breathing most of the time. Our lifestyle makes us tense often and when one is tense, shallow breathing often takes over. Whether it is irritation with a small thing like 180 second RED traffic light or major issue like not getting a promotion or anxiety of new job or a life defining examination, shallow breathing starts. Over time shallow breathing becomes a habit seriously impacting simple act of breathing and the lung capacity. 

I am not saying the Government is not to blame for the current crisis. The Government has been careless, reckless and clueless to say the least. But we the people have made it worse through our habits – first ignoring Covid-19 guidelines, and then our lifestyle has made us weak. We ignore the fundamental of life – proper breathing.