A Civic Biology, Presented in ProblemsHunter, George W. (George William)
Science
A Civic Biology, Presented in Problems
Hunter, George W. (George William)
Biology; Sanitation
Habit Formation.--The training of the different areas in the cerebrum to do
their work well is the object of education. When we learned to write, we
exerted conscious effort in order to make the letters. Now the act of
forming the letters is done without thought. By training, the act has
become automatic. In the beginning, a process may take much thought and
many trials before we are able to complete it. After a little practice, the
same process may become almost automatic. We have formed a habit. Habits
are really acquired reflex actions. They are the result of nature's method
of training. The conscious part of the brain has trained the cerebellum or
spinal cord to do certain things that, at first, were taken charge of by
the cerebrum.
Importance of Forming Right Habits.--Among the habits early to be acquired
are the habits of studying properly, of concentrating the mind, of learning
self-control, and, above all, of contentment. Get the most out of the world
about you. Remember that the immediate effect in the study of some subjects
in school may not be great, but the cultivation of correct methods of
thinking may be of the greatest importance later in life. The man or woman
who has learned how to concentrate on a problem, how to weigh all sides
with an unbiased mind, and then to decide on what they believe to be best
and right are the efficient and happy ones of their generation.
"The hell to be endured hereafter, of which theology tells,
is no worse than the hell we make for ourselves in this
world by habitually fashioning our characters in the wrong
way. Could the young but realize how soon they will become
mere walking bundles of habits, they would give more heed to
their conduct while in the plastic state. We are spinning
our own fates, good or evil, and never to be undone. Every
smallest stroke of virtue or of vice leaves its
never-so-little scar. The drunken Rip Van Winkle, in
Jefferson's play, excuses himself for every fresh
dereliction by saying, 'I won't count this time!' Well! he
may not count it, and a kind Heaven may not count it; but it
is being counted none the less. Down among his nerve cells
and fibers the molecules are counting it, registering and
storing it up to be used against him when the next
temptation comes. Nothing we ever do is, in strict
scientific literalness, wiped out. Of course this has its
good side as well as its bad one. As we become permanent
drunkards by so many separate drinks, so we become saints in
the moral, and authorities in the practical and scientific,
spheres by so many separate acts and hours of work. Let no
youth have any anxiety about the upshot of his education,
whatever the line of it may be. If he keep faithfully busy
each hour of the working day, he may safely leave the final
result to itself. He can with perfect certainty count on
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account