Thinking: Habit or Choice?

Sometimes I sit thinking about things of a habitual nature and compare them to what happens when we break the habits we have developed through the choices we exercise.  All actions in the animal kingdom come through habits.  Habits to a great extent are encoded into our DNA while some habits take practice.  Humans, unlike all other animals, have the ability to think about their habits, the consequences of them and stuff like that.  Humans can choose to break old habits and create new habits.   Sometimes, like in the case of additions, it's more difficult to break some habits and so much easier to stay the course within the confines of certain habits. 

Marriage can become a habit.  The practice of religion can become a habit.  Cleanliness can become a habit too.  These habits most folks would agree aren't harmful habits and should be developed.  But, some marriages should never have been, and in the case of religion, people become too practiced at it which steals the joy from the spirit.  Then there is cleanliness.   Some people become so obsessed with the habit of cleanliness that they miss the happy things that come from being a little askew.  Life passes them by.   But imagine entering marriage where habit doesn't rule and people choose to show affection rather than do so out of habit.  Imagine how God might feel when we reward him with our faith because we choose to, not because we do so out of habits stemming from what we should be doing rather than what we choose to do.  Imagine choosing to shower with the one you love because it's a fun thing to do not beause it is time to be clean again.  Imagine going snow skiing instead of chasing dust bunnies that might be hiding in corners behind the furniture.

Taking drugs is a choice until it becomes a habit.  Our pursuits of pleasure start out as a choice until they become a habit and if addiction to pleasure is in our dna  it only takes once or twice before it becomes a habit.  Habits, if we are not mindful of them, can sear our conscience.  Eventually, mankind could be reduced to the animalistic form it was before God breathed His breath into Adam.  Mankind could always think but was like all other animals, creatures of habit.  When the offspring of Adam and Eve began mating, they eventually breeded some sentience into the dna which took a hold over the generations that followed.  

Today, we are at war with our individual sentience and our animalistic natures.  All, I'm saying is, before we act, we ought to give it some thought.

Happy Mothers Day to all you breeders out there. :)