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.
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