Habits

I have lived in Palau for all of 2 weeks.  Speaking from the viewpoint of typical American cultural arrogance that would make me an expert.  As was irritatingly popular a few years ago, “NOT!” I have had some opportunities to interact with habits, both mine, and those of the folk I’m working with here in this lovely nation. Two unrelated facts merge to create an odd situation in regard to driving in Palau.  Palau has had a long association with the United States.  The US was the prime influence here following World War II, the era in which Palauans were put on wheels.  I’m just an old preacher taking in the surroundings, but I figure that’s why we drive on the right side of the road.  However, it’s a long way back to California, or even Hawaii, so it makes sense that most of the cars here come from Japan, where they drive on the left-hand side of the road.  So my fifty year habit of keeping to the right stands me in good stead.  For that half a century, however, I’ve gone to the left side of the car to slide behind the wheel.  I’ve had cars with shift-on-the-column.  The shifter was on the right, the turn-signal on the left.  It’s been a long time since I owned a car with the gear-shift on the steering-column, but all the cars and trucks I’ve ever owned had the turn signal on the left of the steering-column.  Not now.  That lever on the left turns the windshield wipers on. Several times I’ve walked up to the left side of my Subaru, opened the door and slide behind the wheel only to see that the wheel was a figment of my habit fed imagination.  The real controls are where they have been since this car came off the assembly line in 2007, on the right.  I always hope no one is watching as I get out and walk around.  The first time I drove a couple of miles without mistakenly turning the windshield wipers on I was quite proud of myself.  Even putting the car in gear with my left, instead of my right, hand feels odd, as does having my left hand “free” to reach for something, tune the radio, etc. Habits, ruts, patterns-of-behavior, call them what you will, after most of a lifetime they are well established.  So far none of my American driving habits have proven to be disastrous.  I just have to talk to myself a bit more than usual.  I’ve read that it takes six weeks to establish new patterns.  Remind me in a month and I’ll let you know.  For now, though, I just want to remind you that the habits we build are more powerful than we realize.  The fact that we habitually do things without thinking can be very good, or very bad.  Until a couple of weeks ago, the fact that I didn’t have to write down, or think about which side of the car to get in has been a good thing.  It has probably meant that at least a week of my life has been spent on more productive matters.  I could carry on a conversation, or think about a difficult Theological issue and still land in the right—by that I mean “left”—seat. Here is what I want you to think about, though: Especially for those of us who have arrived at a certain age, could it just be possible that the habits that unconsciously control our lives, no longer work very well in the world in which we live?  Could it be that we are trying to get by with left-hand-drive patterns of life and ministry in a right-hand-drive world?  Even worse could it be that we are just stubbornly clinging to the way it used to be?  Maybe not, but it is Something to Think About.