yuen: habit creatures

Every day I faithfully took the same path to work, even driving on the same lane on a three lane Federal Highway, the lane in the left.

I go the same road although there are many, many paths to my workplace from Shah Alam to PJ.

The same road, the same street, seeing the same buildings, avoiding the same potholes, looking to the same bored faces in every car, stopping in the same traffic lights, circling in the same roundabout, turning the same junctions.

Every single day.

Same time too, I leave at 7.48 a.m. from home.

Humans are creature of habits. How many times have you found yourself walking the same path or driving the same route everyday? Somehow there is a sense of comfort in sticking to the modern routinized life. One does not have to be hampered with the task of making new decisions, one could just follow the very same action one has taken in the past. One will not stumble upon alien surroundings, foreign things, unfamiliar terrains. Its nice to see all the same things, hiding in the safe cocoon of familiarity and certainty.

Everyday people convert themselves into faithful followers, practicing self-created ritual-like habits.

Cueing in the same snooker table, bowl at the same lane number 14, sitting on the same table at restaurants, going to the same place, being a regular. Smoking a stick for breakfast, two after lunch, two on the way back home and one before sleep.

Perhaps that would be the same reason why people dislike change so much. Changes are always accompanied by risks- risks of getting lost, risk of meeting disliked situation and things, risk of exposing self to danger. Changes needs full attention to be paid as one missed junction means having to make a U-turn 500 meters ahead. Changes is unsafe, even laborious at times. Changes also need time to get used to, it needs readjustments. It needs patience to deal with new differences. The sudden closure of the Bukit Lanjan highway or the Kepong bridge.

But change leads to new discoveries. You would never get a better job if you do not quit the current one, you would never found out the short cut if you don’t try that narrow alley between the kampong baru houses. You meet new people by taking the other way to the lecture hall, passing different faculty. Try new cooking at the new restaurant. Wearing the polka dot tie instead of the cornflower blue on Tuesday. Not going to shopping mall on the weekends.

I have a feeling that I have written something like this before, am I sticking to the same subject again?

Damn. I need some change.

end | yuen