Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: Chapter 3

 Psychology and the Healthy Mind

Chapter three of Sick, Souls, Healthy Minds begins in 1879, Williams James is in a good spot, as mentioned in the book he had “conquered” determinism for now, and had begun settling down in life. Everything seemed to be perfect, he had a perfect wife, he had more money and fame than he could need. But the problem with money and fame is that it's one of those things you can never have enough of. James also had an incessant need to be extraordinary, and to be seen as that by the masses, so he set out to conquer one of philosophies toughest questions “How does life give rise to human consciousness?” along with the question “ what is the relationship between being and thinking?”. To answer such complex questions James goes on to talk about adult life and the habits that come with it, and what that does to the human psyche. He says that habits are necessary parts of a human life,  but he makes it a point to differentiate between good and bad habits. His definition of good and bad habits is a little contradictory, he expresses the need for the boring and mundane habits, but says they can be limiting, but he also says that sometimes you have to break out of a habit, and use your free will to be truly happy. John Kaag goes into detail about different habits, and how most of the time habits are learned throughout a person's life, especially in early years, whether it be from parents or teachers. One of the examples Kaag gave that made me laugh, simply because it's so true, the example he gave was how students, on the first day of class assigned themselves a seat, and stuck with it, even though they were given no instruction to do so. We all came into class the first day and we chose a seat, we were not assigned one. Yet, every class after that first day we usually sit in the exact same seats, and I'm sure we all do the exact same thing in our other classes as well. Kaag also mentioned how when someone does take “our” seat it throws us off for a second. So that's just an example of a habit that we all share . James admits the importance of habit but also recognises its flaws. 

“ [Habit] alone is what keeps us all within the bounds of ordinance, and saves the children of fortune from the envious uprisings of the poor. It alone prevents the hardest and most repulsive walks of life from being deserted by those brought up to tread therein. It keeps fisherman and the deck-hand at sea through the winter; it holds the minor in his darkness, and nails the countryman to his log cabin and his lonely farm through all the months of snow; it protects us from invasion by the natives of the desert and the frozen zone. It dooms us to all fight out the battle of life upon the lines of our nurture or our early choice, and to make the best of a pursuit that disagrees, because there is no other for which we are fitted, and it is too late to begin again.” (SSHM pg. 77)
As I mentioned briefly before, habits; however (according to James) can and should sometimes be broken, and that breaking these habits is kind of a way to put our free will to good use. Or more accurately how you can keep habit from controlling you and your life, by first recognizing them, and then resisting them from time to time. For example let's say you have a set time that you go to bed every night and wake up at the same time every morning, but one night you have to opportunity to go do something that would be fun. It might be better to break that habit just for a night, to use your free will and enrich your life in a way. Habit isn't always a prison, the bedtime analogy represents a very good habit, but no matter how good the habit, it can be a restriction in a sense. James also goes on to talk about how everyone is born with a reckless side, it's just that we have to utilize that recklessness from time to time, so as to not remain stagnant. We can't just have habits that are boring, we also need habits that excite us. The way he explained this confused me a little, just because he referred to an exciting habit as a habit, and that seemed to defeat the purpose. The way I view habits is a system that prevents us from falling lower than the progress we've made in life. But every once and a while when you want to raise your game or add onto your life, you need to spice up some preexisting habit or add in some new ones, along with using your free will, and do something you may never do again, just for fun. That way you don't ever just stay exactly where you are, you improve and you grow. James also touches briefly on the importance of exercise and how it can lead to a heartier existence, which I agree with. Same way the outdoors and reading and board games can lead to a heartier existence. However, I'm not completely against the idea that video games and TV can't enrich a person's life, they can still bring joy, but just like everything in our life we need regulation. James believes in balance, so while he believes in being positive he's also a realist, he believes that the boring habits are important, and that they are often needed, but he believes in balance and the importance of also using your free will every once and a while. There's a thing people say on social media and stuff, like “I remembered I had free will so I….” and just do things that make them happy (Most of the time). And I thought that was a pretty cool connection to James’s philosophy.