Our Sinister Friends

Everyday, when I come home, I wash my hands, grab a bite or two, sit down and do my homework, and then play the piano. If I try to change one of these “rituals”, my afternoon would be messed up and I probably wouldn't be able to do the things that I needed to do. These things we call habits are the parts of our personalities which make us unique; they complete the emptiness in our lives and distinguish us from each other. However, they may be easily compared to addictions- even though they are not at all the same; at first, they seem harmless and just like normal sets of actions, but when you realize that you’re doing them all the time –and that is, if you do  realize it- they are very, very hard to get rid of.

What do we understand when we say habit? Habits are actions we have to do in order to keep on living the way we are living currently. They are things we accomplish or say, sometimes without thinking about them. For example, we say “Afiyet Olsun” in Turkish when we are leaving the dinner table. You might say that that is not a habit, but a tradition: but if you trace the traditions back in time, you will see that all traditions actually come from habits. Okonkwo eating bowls of food made by each of his wives, is his habit, which has sprung from his roots, his traditions. Also, saying “Afiyet Olsun”, is also a habit of me, enforced by our traditions and the Turkish culture. Sometimes, when traditions become habits, they become too strong to deny.

Sometimes, habits start out as something we have to do, like wearing a tie to work; but as time passes, this act may grow on someone and they may start to wear ties when going to the market or out for a walk. In the harvesting season, Okonkwo wakes up every morning to go out and do work on the farm. After this long session of continuous work everyday, when the dry season arrives, Okonkwo finds himself to be craving for something to do and to work on. His work, to harvest yams, to tend his farm, has become one of his habits and once that is taken away from him, he feels empty and useless. This is also the reason why control freaks and people with OCD's get so attached to their habits; they need things to fill up their lives and to go according to plan.

Habits are the actions we take, the things we say which make us human and unique. They are like a new pets we have; first, they feel out of place, but then they grow on us and fit in. A habit may be to look at the corridor when you hear someone's footsteps, expecting them, even though that someone may be deceased, or to eat three bowls of food every night. They may be considered to be sinister, they sneak up on us and find their places in our personality,become our "friends", and then they grow on us, making it very hard to get rid of them - if we ever want to.