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Teachers.Net Gazette Vol.6 No.3 | March 2009 |
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Habit vs. Awareness for the 3 Practices and for the Hierarchy of Social Development Once something becomes a habit, awareness of it decreases. | |
by Dr. Marvin Marshall www.MarvinMarshall.com Continued from page 1 March 1, 2009 |
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Since OBEDIENCE (LEVEL C) DOES NOT CREATE DESIRE, it is only motivation at Level D that brings the most personal satisfaction, as the following incident sent to me indicates. Last night I purchased some items at the grocery store. When I took the bags out of my cart and prepared to leave the store for my car, I noticed I had a small key lime clutched in my hand that I had forgotten to put on the conveyor belt; so I hadn't paid for it. At ten for $1, it would have cost ten cents. My first thought was, I don't want to walk all the way back to a cashier for ten cents. The store won't miss that meager amount. Nevertheless, I pulled a dime from my wallet and walked back to the nearest cashier and handed it to her, explaining the reason. She replied by saying, “God bless you for your honesty.” Well, I have to admit; I did feel better than I would have if I had simply walked to my car without paying the ten cents. As we live, we experience various levels. If you have experienced great anger, chances are that you had little concern for the effect your behavior had on others (Level A). If you ever drove faster than the speed limit, you made your own rules of the road (Level B). If you were courteous and considerate of others, your motivation could have been to do what others were doing (Level C), or your motivation could have been to be courteous and considerate of others because that was the right thing to do (Level D). NO ONE OPERATES ON LEVEL D ALL THE TIME. A major point about thinking about the hierarchy is to be continually aware of the level one chooses. It is like sitting up straight. You choose it, and then in a few minutes you realize that you are slouching again. Pull in your stomach for girth control (a conscious activity), and in a few minutes you realize that you are no longer "pulling it in." ONCE AN ACTIVITY BECOMES HABITUAL, YOU LOSE AWARENESS. Hence, although the idea sounds like a good one, a "Level E" would lose the significant step of ALWAYS BEING AWARE OF ONE'S CHOICES--a key to empowerment that so many young people need. Great question! Thanks for asking. By the way, the same "awareness" is necessary for the THREE PRACTICES: positivity, choice, and reflection. Are you aware when your self-talk and your communications to others are negative? Are you giving options to reduce coercion? Are you asking reflective questions such as, "What can I learn from this experience?"
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