NATURE ABHORS A VACUUM

I have two nephews aged 12 and 14 who are tennis buffs. One day their father said to me, "This game is getting very expensive. The boys go through the rackets,balls, lawn fees and now they have a coach. It all costs money." So I asked him, "It is getting expensive compared with what?" He could have them stop playing tennis and save some money. But if they stopped, and came home from school with all their time and energy at hand, what would they do? He stopped to think quietly for some time and then said, "I think I will have them continue. It is cheaper this way." He realized the importance of keeping them involved in positive activities. Otherwise they would be attracted to the negative because nature abhors a vacuum. Either we have a positive or we have a negative; there is no neutral ground here. 

Character building becomes a habit. If we want to build a pleasing personality, we have to examine our habits closely. What begins as an occasional indulgence turns into a permanent flaw. Ask yourself the following questions: 

1. Do you let the quality of your work deteriorate?

 2. Do you indulge in gossip?

 3. Are envy and ego a constant companion?

 4. Is empathy in short supply? 

We could go on and on. We are creatures of habit. It is good that it is that way because if we have to constantly think before doing anything, we would never get anything done. 

There is just not enough time. We control our habits by exercising control and self discipline over our thoughts. We need to harness the power of the subconscious mind. We need to cultivate the habits during childhood which build character in adulthood. Plant the right things early in life. But it is never too late to start. Every exposure to a positive or negative makes a difference. Learning new habits takes time but positive habits, once mastered, give new meaning to life.

 Optimism or pessimism is a habit. Habits are a matter of the pain and pleasure principle. We do things either to avoid pain or to gain pleasure. So long as the gain is more than the pain, we continue with the habit. But if the pain exceeds the gain, we drop it. For example, when the doctor tells the smoker to stop, he replies "I can't! It is a habit and I enjoy it!" and he goes on smoking. Here the pleasure is greater than the pain. Until one day he is faced with a major medical problem, and the doctor says "You better stop smoking immediately if you want to live" and he stops. Here the pain is greater than the pleasure.