A habit is an ecosystem.

“When your last breath arrives, intellectual knowledge can do nothing”
Sri Adi Shankaracharya

At the evening discourse on a silent meditation retreat, I was introduced to the story of Swimology. A young professor was aboard a ship with an old sailor. Every day the professor would impress upon the sailor that he was ignorant about the world. They would discuss Oceanology, Geology, Meteorology, and after every conversation, the professor would conclude that the old sailor didn’t know anything.

One morning the old sailor rushed out of his cabin and asked if the professor knew about Swimology. The old sailor said that the ship was sinking and that unless he knew how to swim, he would drown. The professor only had intellectual knowledge, he knew every ology, but knew not how to swim.

The balance between theoretical knowledge and practical skills is crucial for a holistic understanding of life. And yet, in moments when we are called to be fully present, whether in danger or ecstasy, the mind is silent and pure theory is impotent. When we are confronted with an intractable problem, the intellect shuts down. Who we really are is made manifest and the only theoretical knowledge that arises is that which has been embodied and made reflexive.

Many traditions have explored the idea that you are, deep down, only the qualities you have cultivated. In "The Summoning of Everyman", a late 15th-century morality play, the main character desperately seeks companions for his voyage into the afterlife. He first appeals to Fellowship, his circle of friends, only to realize they are tethered to life. He reaches out to Kin, his family, but finds they too are bound to the living world. Turning to his material possessions, he discovers that these Goods are incapable of transcending the mortal barrier. Finally, he turns to his Good Deeds, and they are the sole ally willing to follow him beyond death.

In critical moments, our accumulated habits define us. Our Character emerges prominently. And so it is natural to wonder how we will approach tragedy, how we will approach death, and whether we will act with integrity when faced with a dilemma.

The only way to know is not to know it - but to be it. And to be it we must practice it.

We must set up conditions that are conducive to the arising of the qualities we seek. Character development is no accident and no miracle happens at death. Our mind at death is the very mind we’ve spent our entire life cultivating, whether consciously or unconsciously. Our ability to practice Swimology is a function only of how much we practiced it! The young professor could not use willpower to be good at swimming at that moment. Just as I cannot will myself to have a longer attention span if I do not practice having one nor can I expect myself to act lovingly if I do not practice acting lovingly. But to act we must intend, and what if the impetus is not there?

We must make it inevitable.

We must take to heart Paramahansa Yogananda’s wise words:

"Environment is stronger than will power.”

So to ensure we become who we want to be, to ensure that in trying moments we act as we know we should, we must create the appropriate environment.

I would go one step further and say that we must create an inner and outer environment full of living and non-living components - we must create an ecosystem of development.

Habits are ecosystems. Let me explain.

Habit Formation Is The Cultivation of the Right Conditions

Habits function like ecosystems, flourishing under the right conditions. Rather than exerting direct control, success in habit formation depends on creating an environment where desired outcomes naturally emerge.

Take muscle growth for instance. It's not about willing your muscles to enlarge; instead, it's about establishing a routine involving a gym membership, sufficient protein intake, a caloric surplus, effective muscle stimulation, and adequate sleep. Muscle gain is the natural consequence of this well-orchestrated habit ecosystem.

This concept underscores a fundamental truth: we often overestimate our direct control. Human adaptability is powerful and thrives without conscious effort. Adaptability is simply about being in the right environment and avoiding counterproductive actions. The results then unfold organically. All the outcomes we seek are the effects of causes. Those causes are a web of conditions. If we set up those conditions correctly, our biology will adapt accordingly.

Good sleep, for instance, is not a matter of sheer willpower but a consequence of nurturing the right environment and habits. It emerges from setting up conditions conducive to rest: dim lighting, avoiding screens, ensuring a peaceful state of mind, steering clear of stimulants like caffeine or sugar, and keeping the bedroom temperature cool. These practices collectively create the foundation for quality sleep, making it a natural outcome rather than a forced effort.

This is similar to the nature of relaxation. It is impossible to relax. You cannot will yourself into a state of rest. All you can do is stop being tense. Relaxation is the natural result of ceasing to hold tension. It's about letting go of muscle contraction, not actively trying to relax. When counterproductive actions are avoided, relaxation occurs spontaneously.

By consciously creating an ecosystem that fosters the habits we desire, we set the stage for these behaviour patterns to emerge naturally and become integrated into our lives. Simply put: the behavior outcomes we seek, whatever they may be, are attained by creating the conditions which lead to their arising.

Habits Start by Making What Is Transparent to us Opaque

The foundation of building these ecosystems is a clear understanding of our starting point. We start with self-reflection. We start by making conscious what has been unconscious. We start by looking.

“The proof of the sun is the sun itself. If you want proof, don’t turn your face away” Rumi

To honestly self-assess yourself, you cannot turn away from who you are.

“There are two kinds of suffering. There is the suffering you run away from, which follows you everywhere. And there is the suffering you face directly, and so become free.” Ajahn Chah

An authentic self-assessment can be embarrassing or even humiliating. What if you’ve been deluding yourself for months, years, or even decades? Then so be it. The first Zen patriarch, Bodhidharma, writes the following:

“Not creating delusions is enlightenment”

Upon recognizing our delusions, we set the stage to move beyond them. This transition involves creating conditions that facilitate their dissolution. However, there's an inherent delay between initiating these conditions and witnessing their effects. A valuable mindset to adopt in the interim is one held by the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. Their primary set of mind training techniques are known as Lamdre, which translates to “Path Including Its Result”.

The core attribute of these methods is that everything that is encountered on the path is transmuted into enlightenment-supporting qualities. The Result you seek is already embedded in every so-called hindrance on the Path. If we seek to relax, the mindset shifts to perceiving oneself as already inherently relaxed and viewing tension as a temporary deviation. You pre-emptively embody the outcome until it flows naturally.

If one behaves as though they are already fit, they immerse themselves in the habits and environment of a fit person. This not only influences immediate actions but also paves the way for the complete adaptation of the body-mind system over time. Essentially, by living as if the goal has already been achieved, the entire being aligns with this new reality.

As such, we are given the paradoxical task of starting where we are, in the realm of progressive causality, and of seeing the result we seek in every moment.

Our Character is Emergent

Our habits are ecosystems of being. Like a forest thriving in its harmonious complexity, each habit we cultivate interweaves with others, creating a rich tapestry that defines our very nature. This ecosystem of habits operates under a subtle yet powerful principle: the emergent property. Just as a single ant's behaviour is simplistic but the colony exhibits complex behaviour, our individual habits may seem trivial, yet collectively, they give rise to our Character.

May we all tend to our habit ecosystems with patience and care.