Are Habit Slaves Born?

Habits of drinking, excessive smoking, overindulgence in coffee or tea; and habitual moods of anger, greed, envy sloth and despondency are usually elected to office by the cumulative numerical strength of unwise hordes of little actions performed without any thought of the after effect of enslavement.

Persons addicted to such habits are not born inelectably to their unfortunate fate; in this or in a past life, knowingly or unknowingly, they have enslaved themselves through constant repetition of certain actions.

The first drink never made a drunkard; the first act of sensuality never made a libertine; the first use of narcotics never made a dope addict. It was a series of mechanical or ill considered repetitions of such misguided actions that elected these griping habits to power. Quantitative strength won against the qualitative voice of attentive reason, which had become weakened through failure to exercise its powers and had thus lost its vote.

Guard yourself, therefore, against the first performance of a wrong act. What you do once you are likely to do again. It is by repetitions that are a habit grow stronger and bigger, like a rolling snowball.Use your reason in all your actions; otherwise you may thoughtlessly convert yourself into helpless salve of undesirable habits.