Change The Programme

12:23pm Tuesday 15th May 2007

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Sally Lawrence’s letter on the letters page two weeks ago, about being automatically given plastic bags even when she didn’t want them, got me thinking about habits. Habits are things we do when we’re not consciously thinking. They are like the default setting on a computer, the setting which it automatically returns to when it’s not given any other instruction.
The problem with a human default is that it is unconsidered. It is not necessarily the best choice for a given situation, it’s an automatic response often informed by past experiences. Becoming aware of our programming gives us the choice to change our behaviour if we choose to. Take getting road rage in a traffic jam for example. Simply asking ourselves if this is a useful reaction, we might find that it isn’t such a good idea, after all, could we change anything about that traffic jam?

Society has default settings, things we call cultural norms – often they come from assumptions based on what is familiar. Looking back over history, we can see that many of these default settings have changed over time, like the slave trade and the apartheid system in South Africa, and from my perspective, there are some that still need to be re-set, like the demonising of youth and the “throw-away society” consumer culture.

We can either accept the norm, or we can make a conscious choice that we want things to be different, and take steps towards the change we want to see. This requires thinking and questioning, and may involve changing habits. Of course, there are some things which are beyond our control, things we can’t influence, and this is where we need to apply some wisdom.

I am reminded of the prayer, ‘Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference’

Have a look at your habits. Are there some changes to your default settings that would make you (and others) happier and healthier? I know there are to mine.

Peter Norton