Will may not be the way
“If you control your environment, you don’t have to control your will.”
I love this quote not just because it is mine. I do believe that if we put our will to test unnecessarily, it is only a matter of when, not whether we will succumb.
If you are a teetotaler, and you insist on spending every evening with friends in a local bar, it is only a matter of time before you try a sip.
A few years ago a holy man India with a massive following was caught on video in a compromising position with a movie star. Many people argued that it was a case of entrapment. My question- Why was he alone with the movie star in a hotel room in the first place?
On an earlier post, Thanksgiving, Tourniquets and Trains, I talked about how the internet can foster unhealthy relationships. I know of a married man who sent a friend request on Facebook to his ex. Soon after, his wife caught him blue-faced and red-handed in middle of the night, on Skype. He tried to convince her that he was just helping his ex out with her “current relationship”.
Maybe,at first, he genuinely wanted to help his ex, or maybe he liked the attention, but his problem started when he sent the friend request. Once he was in the environment, and refused to get out, it became a slippery slope. Things did not end well.
One of my coaches, Kanti Gala, often shares this funny quip:
“Doctor, every time I jump off the stairs, my shins hurt”, says the patient.
“So first things first,” says the doctor, “don’t jump off the stairs”.