在生活中，我們養成了各種習慣。無論是飲食、運動、作息，或者是做事、思考等，習慣總是在不知不覺中影響著我們，有時甚至讓我們陷入身體或心理的困境。從一般的觀念和行為來看，我們對習慣的危害還不夠警覺。因此，我們有必要對習慣進行深入分析，並啟動一個用意識取代習慣的過程。
我們先看本能，這是一種遺傳的習慣。舉例來說，有些動物有掩蓋糞便的本能，以減少被捕食者追蹤的風險。但即使在水泥地上，它們也會慣性地做出掩蓋糞便的動作，而不知道自己實際上沒有完成任務。可見，動物的無意識有時會導致本能習慣失效，使它們陷入危險。
除了本能之外，我們的其他習慣都是透過對事物的反覆體驗而形成的。有些習慣危害較小，例如食物偏好。但有些會損害我們的健康，例如吸煙或飲酒。這些都反映出習慣對生命帶來的潛在危險。而且，當習慣變成身份的一部份，我們往往會因為堅持自己的習慣而忽略別人的感受，這會對人際關係產生負面影響。
可以說，習慣是人際關係中最大的障礙。習慣就像一面牆，在人與人之間製造了障礙，讓彼此難以親近。例如，兩個來自不同地區的人組成了一個家庭，並且各自堅持以前的生活習慣，那麼他們的關係就不會親密，甚至可能因衝突而分開。
習慣也有一些用處。當意識無法及時做出反應，習慣可以讓我們的身體繼續運作。例如，當遇到突然的危急情況，即將摔倒時，我們會慣性地用手撐住地面，讓自己的頭部有機會不受傷。然而，當需要主動模擬摔倒，如果不能克服這個習慣，繼續用手支撐地面，那麼我們就無法完成任務。大多數時候，危急情況不會發生，所以這個例子強調了培養意識和擺脫習慣的重要性。擁有的意識越多，我們就越能避免危險。
例如，當我們按習慣而不加思考地刷牙，有時會刷得不潔淨，有時會用力過度，造成牙齒損傷。這種慣性的刷牙方式，也會讓我們忘記自己是否有刷過牙，導致刷牙次數過多。但如果每次刷牙都考慮口腔的情況，如何刷得更乾淨和適度，我們就會改進刷牙的方法，或選擇更好的器具，讓牙齒更健康。
可見，習慣是意識成長的障礙。生活中我們每養成一種習慣，就意味著在某些方面的意識停止了成長，風險也隨之增加。例如，按計劃飲食或運動都是被認為健康的做法。然而，這種做法一旦形成習慣，也可能導致我們忽視身體老化或環境變化，未能及時調整飲食或運動的計劃，增加健康風險。相反，如果生活中的每一個行動都是由意識安排的，而不是由習慣驅動的，我們就可以不斷審視自己的選擇和行為，並根據當前的情況進行調整。這樣，我們的健康就會得到充份的保障。
總的來說，生活中的許多困難，都是因為固守習慣而造成的。因此，我們應該注重意識的培養，而不是習慣的形成。即使是生活中的小事，我們也應該根據實際需要，來決定是否行動以及如何行動，而不是按照習慣來行動。只要我們用意識取代習慣，許多困難就會被克服，生活也會變得更順利。
既然習慣的害處很多，而且意識更先進，所以我們應該用意識取代習慣。這需要設定一些具體、可衡量並有時間限制的目標，以便我們能夠追蹤自己的進步。例如，我們可以將擺脫熬夜習慣當作一個目標，記錄一個月每天的睡眠時間。如果能夠達到目標，我們就可以檢查一下自己的身心狀態是否比熬夜更好。當發現自己從改變中受益，我們就會感到高興，並在以後早點睡覺，從而擺脫熬夜的習慣。
值得強調的是，我們不應該為進步設定物質獎勵，也不應該尋找習慣的替代品。因為這樣會產生新的習慣，違背了用意識取代習慣的初衷，無助於培養意識。所以在上面的例子中，我們不應該在早睡後的第二天早上獎勵自己甜點，因為這會養成吃甜點的新習慣。
用意識取代習慣並不容易，因為我們總是將習慣分為好習慣和壞習慣。然而，我們可以透過自由的視角來看待習慣，並從打破以好壞來看待事物的習慣開始。我們最需要的是自由，但越倚賴習慣，自由就越少。因此，無論是哪一種習慣，只要它限制了我們的自由，就是有害的。最深刻的危害，是習慣阻礙意識的形成，間接加速大腦的退化。只有認識它對生命的有害影響，我們才能用意識取代習慣。
用意識取代習慣，意味著我們更了解自己的動機。透過清楚了解每個行動的目的和方法，充份預測可能的結果，並事後總結和反思，我們就能更自覺地行動。例如，說話時我們需要知道說話的原因和目標，安排好自己的言辭和語氣，努力讓別人更容易理解。我們也需要觀察別人的反應，這樣才能提高自己說話的能力。
雖然有意識地行動需要更多時間和精力，但它減少了出錯的機會。當我們用意識取代習慣，生活的每一刻都有成長的機會。我們可以將關係轉變為意識的融合，不再是本能的欲望或社會習俗。這會為我們帶來更多新鮮感，對延緩大腦衰退也有很大的好處。
我們首先要擺脫那些破壞關係的習慣，例如不友善、情緒化等，讓關係朝著好的方向發展。即使是兩個在完全不同文化長大的人，只要願意放下自己的習慣，也可以生活在一起。愛是一種意識，而不是一種生活習慣。因此，如果更進一步，用意識取代習慣，我們就能彼此相愛。
最重要的是，我們在取代習慣的過程中，認識到真正的自己是意識，而不是習慣。只有自覺地生活，我們才能感到自己真實的存在，才能最大限度地保護自己的生命。因此，無論遇到甚麼困難，用意識取代習慣，都是值得我們努力的方向。
用意識取代習慣，可以讓我們更好的主導自己的生活。生命像一輛汽車，意識就像駕駛者。如果我們在生活中只是跟隨自己的本能和習慣，就無法掌控人生的軌跡，就會遭遇挫折，甚至造成事故。意識就是掌控生命的能力，必須透過不斷的應用來提升。因此，為了健康和長壽，為了真正的自由和成長，我們必須用意識取代習慣。
73. 洞察事物的真相 (上一篇)
75. 愛是創造幸福的行動 (下一篇)
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The path to Tranquility (74)
Replace habits with consciousness
In life, we develop various habits. Whether it is diet, exercise, work and rest, or doing things, thinking, etc., habits always affect us unconsciously, and sometimes even put us into physical or psychological difficulties. From the perspective of general concepts and behaviors, we are not alert enough to the dangers of habits. Therefore, it is necessary for us to conduct an in-depth analysis of habits and initiate a process of replacing them with consciousness.
Let’s look at instinct first, which is an inherited habit. For example, some animals have the instinct to cover up their feces to reduce the risk of being stalked by predators. But even on concrete floors, they will habitually make movements to cover their feces without knowing that they have not actually completed the task. It can be seen that animals' unconsciousness sometimes causes their instinctive habits to fail, putting them in danger.
In addition to instinct, our other habits are formed through repeated experience of things. Some habits are less harmful, such as food preferences. But some can harm our health, such as smoking or drinking alcohol. These all reflect the potential dangers that habits bring to life. Moreover, when habits become part of our identity, we tend to ignore the feelings of others because we stick to our own habits, which can have a negative impact on relationships.
It can be said that habits are the biggest obstacle in relationships. Habits are like a wall, creating barriers between people and making it difficult to get close to each other. For example, if two people from different areas form a family and each insists on their previous living habits, their relationship will not be close, and they may even be separated by conflicts.
Habits also have some uses. Habits allow our bodies to continue functioning when our conscious minds are unable to respond in time. For example, when we encounter a sudden critical situation and are about to fall, we will habitually support the ground with our hands to give our head a chance to avoid injury. However, when we need to actively simulate falling, if we cannot overcome this habit and continue to support the ground with our hands, then we will not be able to complete the task. Most of the time, critical situations don't happen, so this example highlights the importance of developing consciousness and breaking out of habits. The more consciousness we have, the better we can avoid danger.
There is a fundamental difference between habit and consciousness. A habit is a set of fixed memories and routines. Therefore, if we act according to our habits, we become as rut-like as machines. And consciousness is flexible perception and prediction. When we act consciously, we fully consider our situation and adjust our goals or methods.
For example, when we brush our teeth according to habit without thinking, sometimes we brush not cleanly, and sometimes we brush too hard, causing damage to the teeth. This inertial way of brushing our teeth can also make us forget whether we have brushed our teeth, resulting in brushing too many times. But if we consider the condition of our mouth every time we brush our teeth, how to brush more cleanly and moderately, we will improve the method of brushing our teeth, or choose better appliances to make our teeth healthier.
It can be seen that habits are obstacles to the growth of consciousness. Every time we develop a habit in life, it means that our consciousness in some aspects stops growing, and the risks also increase. For example, eating as planned or exercising are both considered healthy practices. However, once this practice becomes a habit, it may also cause us to ignore physical aging or environmental changes, fail to adjust our diet or exercise plans in time, and increase health risks. On the contrary, if every action in life is arranged by consciousness rather than driven by habits, we can constantly review our choices and behaviors and adjust them according to the current situation. In this way, our health will be fully protected.
In general, many of the difficulties in life are caused by sticking to habits. Therefore, we should focus on the cultivation of consciousness rather than the formation of habits. Even for small things in life, we should decide whether and how to act based on actual needs, rather than acting according to habits. As long as we replace habits with consciousness, many difficulties will be overcome and life will become smoother.
Since habits have many harmful effects and consciousness is more advanced, we should replace habits with consciousness. This requires setting some specific, measurable, and time-bound goals so that we can track our progress. For example, we can make it a goal to get rid of the habit of staying up late and record the sleep time every day for a month. If we can achieve our goals, we can check whether our physical and mental state is better than staying up late. When we find ourselves benefiting from a change, we feel happy and go to bed earlier in the future, thus breaking the habit of staying up late.
It is worth emphasizing that we should not set material rewards for progress, nor should we look for substitutes for habits. Because this will create new habits, defeat the original intention of replacing habits with consciousness, and will not help cultivate consciousness. So in the example above, we shouldn’t reward ourselves with dessert the morning after going to bed early because this will create a new habit of eating dessert.
It is not easy to replace habits with consciousness because we always classify habits into good habits and bad habits. However, we can look at habits through the lens of freedom and start by breaking the habit of seeing things in terms of good and bad. What we need most is freedom, but the more we rely on habits, the less freedom we have. Therefore, no matter what kind of habit it is, as long as it restricts our freedom, it is harmful. The most profound harm is that habits hinder the formation of consciousness and indirectly accelerate the degeneration of the brain. Only by recognizing its harmful effects on life can we replace habits with consciousness.
Replacing habits with consciousness means we are more aware of our own motivations. By clearly understanding the purpose and method of each action, fully predicting the possible results, and summarizing and reflecting afterwards, we can act more consciously. For example, when speaking, we need to know the reason and goal of speaking, arrange our words and tone, and strive to make it easier for others to understand. We also need to observe the reactions of others so that we can improve our ability to speak.
Although acting consciously requires more time and effort, it reduces the chance of error. When we replace habits with consciousness, there is an opportunity for growth in every moment of our lives. We can transform relationships into a fusion of consciousness, no longer about instinctive desires or social conventions. This will bring us more novelty and also have great benefits in delaying brain decline.
We must first get rid of those habits that damage relationships, such as unkindness, being emotional, etc., so that the relationship can develop in a good direction. Even two people who grew up in completely different cultures can live together as long as they are willing to let go of their own habits. Love is a consciousness, not a lifestyle habit. So if we go a step further and replace habits with consciousness, we can love each other.
The most important thing is that in the process of replacing habits, we realize that our true self is consciousness, not habits. Only by living consciously can we feel our true existence and protect our lives to the maximum extent. Therefore, no matter what difficulties we encounter, replacing habits with consciousness is a direction worth our efforts.
Replacing habits with consciousness allows us to better control our lives. Life is like a car and consciousness is like the driver. If we just follow our own instincts and habits in life, we will not be able to control the trajectory of life, and we will encounter setbacks and even cause accidents. Consciousness is the ability to control life and must be improved through continuous application. Therefore, for health and longevity, for true freedom and growth, we must replace habits with consciousness.
On July 16, 2023
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