IN THE NAME OF GOD
I was all you and yet unaware… -Rumi
The Trial of Habits
Written by Ali Khakzadi Translated by Ali Aqarahimi
To the elevated soul of the mystic and poet for whom there exists no match…
He every single line of whose poems, resembling drops of a thousand-year-old wine, would drive the soul of all sages towards a mania for itself…
To Rumi
Furthermore, to the creator of the unparalleled motion picture 12 Angry Men, Sidney Lumet, who had a conceptual and contextual role in the present piece…
Moreover, to Charles Duhigg, the author of The Power of Habit
And, to James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits
Both of whose experiences and authorial creations did abundantly benefit me in this book…
Chapter One
The Commerce of Habits
In the Presence of the Habit Counselor
With her eyes swollen because of too much crying, the young woman swept her irresolution aside and softly asked, “Excuse me, sir. Have you come here to buy a habit too?” The man raised his head, looking away from the pages of the thick book he was holding and laying his eyes on the woman who had disturbed his reading. And then, as common courtesy demanded, the man shortly responded, “Yes.” He then started reading once again.
A tense silence had descended upon the waiting room of the clinic. The only thing that could be vaguely heard was the sound of a conversation between the doctor and a patient from behind the door of examination room. The young woman once again swept aside her bashfulness and indecisiveness, moved her face close to the bookish man, and softly said, “Can I ask which habit you intend to buy?” Quite unwillingly, the bookish man who was immersed in reading the book raised his head again. He couldn’t spend even a single moment of his time in vain; therefore, he was not too keen on those who would waste his time with numerous questions. And yet, the man thought to himself that a successful man must be a social man as well. Hence he decided to respond to the curious woman. He held the page of the book with his finger so as not to lose it, saying afterwards, “I have come to purchase the habit of good-temperedness.”
Knowing that she has led the bookish man away from his favorite task with her many questions, the young woman uneasily asked, “Sorry to interrupt your reading! Have you bought any habit from this clinic before?” Seeing himself as a fly that is held captive in the
spider webs of the woman’s questions, the man made his every effort to set himself free, as he said in a rather angry tone, “The next thing you’re going to ask is supposed to be whether or not I am satisfied with the habit I have purchased!” He then continued calmly, “Yes! I have once purchased a habit from this establishment. And, I am very satisfied with my purchase.” He then quickly opened his book and started reading. The young woman swallowed her next question and dared not ask it. She then turned her face away and leaned against the back of the chair to keep her distance from the bookish man.
Those two were not alone. A middle-aged man in a black overcoat was sitting in front of them as well. He had raised his collar so much that it seemed like he was sitting on a bus stop bench trying to cover himself from the biting wind. He was all ears, listening intently and mysteriously to hear what those two were saying. The young woman took a look at the man in overcoat. When their eyes met, the man in overcoat was the one who averted her gaze. The shadow of silence fell between three of them this time. The bookish man would go to the next page every couple of minutes, breaking the silence of the room. He was reading with an indescribably insatiable appetite. The young woman was trying to read the name of the book from its crumpled front cover; the hand of the bookish man, however, would block her vision. She thought to herself that the subject matter of the book must be extremely exciting; why else would it fascinate the man like this? The young woman felt a bit sorry for herself as well, for she had never read a book so interestedly.
At last, the silence got broken. Something similar to the sound of people saying goodbye could be heard. The doctor had finished visiting the patient who was in his office. A couple
of footsteps got heard. The door of the doctor’s office opened. The patient who was inside got out with a smile, walked across the width of the waiting room and exited. The doctor said, “Next patient, please!”
It was the bookish man’s turn. He stood up and placed his book in the pocket of his topcoat. Just as he wanted to move towards the doctor’s office, the young woman threw caution to the winds, got up, stood in front of him and asked her final question, “May I ask what habit you bought last time?” Without being overly annoyed this time, the young man enunciated every single one of his words, responding, “The habit of book-reading”. He then went past her with a smile, entered the doctor’s office and closed the door behind him.
Puzzled and perplexed, the young woman got back to her seat and started turning something over and over in her mind. Meanwhile, the man who was sitting in front of her grasped the opportunity and sat one seat away from her. He then covered his mouth with his hand; and, like someone who wants to speak inaudibly in a group setting, he said, “Don’t believe what the book-lover said!” He then moved himself a bit, looked left and right at the empty room, moved his head close to the young woman and quietly said, “I have a feeling that he is in bed with the doctor.”
The young woman turned a deaf ear to his words. Instead, she seized that opportune moment to ask something from the man in overcoat. So she said, “Have you come here to change your habits too?” The man in overcoat replied, “Yes.” The young woman immediately asked the next question, “What habit do you want to buy?” The man in overcoat heaved a sigh and said, “I am not wealthy enough to afford to buy a habit. The
prices are too high.” The young woman asked in surprise, “Why have you come here then?” The man in overcoat replied, “I want to eliminate one of my habits. It’s a habit that bothers me a lot and has taken all my friends away from me.” He then leaned against the back of the chair and changed the position of his feet. He was hesitant between telling and not telling. He couldn’t trust the young woman. He thought to himself, “What if she has been sent here by someone? Maybe she even works for a publication of some sort and can possibly reveal my secrets to everybody tomorrow! My good name is in danger.” As he was ruminating on and on, the young woman curiously asked, “Which one of your habits do you want to delete?” Lying in the bed that he had made while knowing he cannot leave unanswered the very question that he had brought up, the man in overcoat perforce replied, “The habit of pessimism”.
Having been subject to the ambiguity caused by her conversation with the bookish man, the young woman was now immersed in another ambiguity. She intended to ask another question but fell silent. She got scared. The man in overcoat was suffering from the habit of pessimism and had a long way till being healed. So she preferred not to ask questions anymore. She crawled back to her corner of seclusion and into the thoughts which had distressed her. She thought of the last time she had heard her husband threatening her. She thought to herself that the life will be over for her if her husband carries out his threat. She had wept all that day and the last night. Her head was in excruciating pain. She couldn’t realize whether her headache was because of the nip in the air or the weep in her eyes. She heaved a sigh and remained silent.
Suddenly and for reasons unknown, the man in overcoat stood up, took a couple of long steps across the length of the waiting room and exited. The way in which he got out of there did indicate that he doesn’t intend to return. He even didn’t shut the door behind him. Looking quite astonished, the young woman followed him with her eyes as he left. A hefty gust of sub-zero air started blowing inside. The young woman shivered. The cold reached her lung; and, she coughed a couple of times. Her body had become severely feeble. She looked at dim reflection of her visage in the smoked glass top of the end table. The glass was opaque; however, the young woman didn’t need any reflecting surface to notice that she looked disheveled. It’s been a long while since she had worn make-up.
The door of the doctor’s office opened. Walking backwards out of the room with a laugh, the bookish man said bye to the doctor and left. The doctor immediately said, “Next patient, please!” The young woman nearly jumped out of her skin and went towards the doctor’s office. She entered the room, sat on the chair facing the doctor and said, “Hello, doctor!” The doctor responded with a warm smile, “Hello, ma’am. I must declare that I am not a doctor. I’m actually an engineer.” The young woman corrected herself in surprise and said, “Excuse me, sir!” She then took a look at pieces of equipment in the room. It looked nothing like a doctor’s office. It was different from all she had seen so far.
With a smile on his face, the engineer said, “So, how may I help you?” The engineer’s question brought the young woman back to herself. She stopped exploring his office with her eyes, concentrated her thoughts and said to the engineer, “I am in need of the habit of not nagging, doctor…I’m sorry, I mean, sir.” The engineer had been buried behind his
desk; either the desk was too big for him or he was too small for it. The engineer gently said, “First, share your problem with me. I initially have to know which one of your habits has become problematic.” The young woman despondently responded, “I need your help, sir. I fear I might lose my husband. You see, I have a terrible habit; I can’t ask anything in a peaceful, amicable language. My requests are always accompanied by quarrel. I, for one, have had enough of this habit.” The engineer asked, “Is your husband negligent in fulfilling your requests?” With mirth in her face and a smile of contentment on her lips, the young woman said, “No, sir. He’s quite a good man. I love him, and I’m satisfied with my life.” The mirth vanished and the smile faded from her face, as she sadly continued, “Yesterday, however, he ran out of patience and threatened to leave me.”
The engineer asked, “Is this habit hereditary in your family?” The young woman paused and started giving it some thought. She knew the answer to the question; but, she needed to think. She knew about doctor-patient confidentiality; however, she had no idea if there was such a thing as engineer-patient confidentiality or not! Eventually, she dejectedly replied, “Yes, sir. My mother has this habit too. I even think my sister is suffering from this habit to some extent.” The engineer nodded sympathetically and said, “Unfortunately, habits are both hereditary and contagious. Getting out of bad habits is extremely difficult or even, one might say, impossible; but, you are in good hands and in the proper place. We will repair your brain so good that it will run like clockwork for you.” Looking rather surprised, the young woman said, “Did you just say you will repair it?”
With a laugh, the engineer replied, “Yes! We do repair it. One must fix what is broken, just like when a vacuum cleaner gets broken.” The young woman said, “Does the brain even get broken?” With his profoundly contemplative gaze fixed on the ceiling, the engineer replied, “Yes! Sure it gets defective. The brain can suffer from two kinds of malady each of which has its own remedy. The first malady includes physical damages, such as having a tumor or epilepsy. Curing this malady is the specialty of modern medicine. The second one is related to functional damages, that is, when then brain neither works properly nor makes the right decision. Such a brain is defective and in need of getting repaired. You must draw a line between curing and repairing.”
The young woman fearfully asked, “Is it painful to repair the brain?” With a ripple of deep laughter, the engineer said, “It’s painless and blood-free! Directing concentrated photons at those neurons of the brain which have caused the bad habits, we disjoin them like untying a knot in a rope. Piece of cake!” The young woman delightedly said, “Does that mean I stop nagging at every single thing when the repair is done?” The engineer proudly replied, “When the repair is done, you won’t have any idea what nagging is!” The young woman struck the palms of her hands together out of happiness. The engineer once again said, “But, I have another suggestion, of course only if you can afford it.” The young woman said, “I have no financial problem whatsoever. I can pay as much as needed.” The engineer became doubly delighted and said, “Excellent! In that case, I strongly advise you to purchase a number of good habits from us as well, so you could have your dream life, one you can’t even dream of. If you agree, then let’s take a look at the leaflet of existing habits
so I could introduce the brand-new habits to you. There are also a couple of habits produced specifically for housewives which are in production and will soon be available. I think you’ll be fond of them. You can preorder them.” The young woman stood up as a sign of agreement. She then put her purse on her shoulder and started following the engineer who had gotten up from his desk.
At the end of the engineer’s room, there were a couple of couches on one of which she sat. The engineer opened a number of leaflets which were placed on the end table between the couches. On one of them, the words Family-related Habits was written. While the young woman was still holding the purse tightly in her arms, like children do with their backpacks, she bent her head towards the leaflet. It mattered not how hard she tried, she couldn’t fathom what the shapes she was seeing meant. Those shapes more or less resembled her grandmother’s ball of yarn after kitties would play with it.
The engineer pulled his lapels closer together and fastened the middle button of his coat. He then said, “Take a look at the rates and choose the proper habit with respect to your budget.” Turning over the pages of the leaflet in a state of excitement, the young woman said, “Do you have the habit of kindness to husband?” The engineer gave a grimace, raised his eyebrow, and said, “Yes! As a matter of fact, it’s a popular habit. I’ve actually closed
two sales not long ago today.” He then changed his tone and enthusiastically added, “I also have another habit which has proven effective. The customers who have bought it are entirely satisfied. It also has a two-year guarantee as well as a five-year after-sale service and support.” Being beside herself with excitement, the young woman eagerly said, “What
habit?” The engineer replied, “The habit of encouraging your husband. Men love this habit.” The young woman despondently said, “Unfortunately, my habit is the other way around. I discourage and disparage my husband.” She then excitedly continued, “I’ll take this one too. What other habits do you have available?” The engineer said, “Install these two habits for now, so you could witness the quality of our work. There will be much time for further purchases. I’m confident you will become our regular customer.”
The young woman bashfully said, “I’m sorry to say this; but, I have read a book about habits. In that book, some things were written about how to create good habits and break bad ones. What’s your opinion of such books?” With his face twisted into a grimace of disgust, the engineer replied, “Throw those nonsensical books away. Don’t follow those incompetently amateurish recommendations. It’s literally like trying to cure flu with patience, while both injection and tablets are available. After all, can one drive bad habits out of one’s head? Is it that easy to create good habits? It takes a long time; and, it might eventually turn out to be not to your taste and liking. For instance, you supposedly create the habit of book-reading in yourself; but, you have to be roughhoused to go and read a book. Creating habits in this way is to no avail; but, we have a book-reading habit which will make the customer’s eyes sewn to the book.” He then proudly continued, “We are the first and the only company in the world that sells habits. Our quality is outstanding. I will not compliment anymore. You can delve into our customer base.” The engineer then stood up from the couch and returned to his desk. To get the point across more clearly, he used an example which he obviously had repeated for all his customers; this could be seen in
the way he yawned while talking. He said, “If you want to build a house, are you going to hand the job to an architectural engineer or just start doing the job on your own?” The young woman spontaneously replied, “It goes without saying. I’ll give the job to the engineer.”
The engineer said, “Well said! In that case, you have come to the right place. I am a habit design engineer. If you would be willing to pay handsomely, I can even design a habit for you which can meet your most particular demands.” While handing out the brochure for the top-selling habits to the young woman, the engineer said, “The habit of talking in a group setting, the habit of saying no, the habit of being an early riser, and so many other great and helpful habits are shown in this brochure. Take a look at them. I recommend that you get a couple of good habits for your husband as well.”
He then took a huge catalogue with many pages from his desk drawer, bent towards the young woman and respectfully handed it over to her, saying, “These are the habits that people with occupation will need. They include habits such as being organized, being serious, having perseverance, being meticulous, not interrupting others while talking, having financial management in life and the like. There are habits in this catalogue which can help all people reaching their desired place and position in a short while. Have a talk with your husband. Be sure our habits will work for him.”
The young woman started pondering a bit. She intended to purchase two good habits for her husband; however, she was hesitant about discussing it with the engineer. She eventually made up her mind and said, “Do you have the habit of great patience and the
habit of faithfulness to wife? I won’t have any problem at all if I purchase these two habits for my husband.” Absolutely delighted with this good customer which had landed on his door, the engineer said, “Yes. Of course we do! The habit of faithfulness to spouse is among the habits that almost all women purchase. Nowadays, the habit of admiring beauty has many buyers as well. Women also get this habit for their husbands. Don’t you want to purchase this one?” The engineer laughed naughtily and continued, “I have installed this habit on myself, as a birthday gift to my wife. And, because of it, I get to have delicious meals every single day.”
The young woman didn’t need this habit, since her husband had previously developed it. Before putting it in her purse, she started turning the pages of the occupational habits catalogue. Suddenly, she yelled in annoyance, “4000 dollars for the habit of saving money? Isn’t that a little too much?” The engineer single-mindedly said, “No! It’s a fair price.” He then bent towards the young lady from behind his desk, like someone who wants to say something important, and then continued, “Just three months ago, I sold this habit to a simple storeowner. And, a couple of days ago, he called me saying that by now he has earned three times the amount of money he spent for the habit. This is a wonderful habit; and, it makes you earn back what you sent for it.” He then returned to his previous posture. And, while playing with his chair by moving his body, he said, “Take one for yourself too. I will offer a good discount if you purchase two.” The young woman said, “No. Thank you. I don’t want this habit. This habit may negatively affect my habit of shopping; but, it is really proper for my husband. I’m sure he needs it.”
The young woman joyfully started getting ready to leave. She was different from the woman who had entered the office a couple of minutes ago. She was brimming with hope for life. She took a couple of steps towards the exit door to make it clear to the engineer that she’s late and must leave soon. Standing near the exit door, she said, “So, please tell me; when will my orders be ready?” The engineer stood up as well; and, while seeing the young woman to the exit door, he continued, “Our headquarters is located in the island of Brainland1. As a matter of fact, this place is our Sweden Office of Consultation and Customer Transportation. Soon we will officially open the International Center for Brain Repair that is located in Brainland. I suggest you join us for the grand opening in the island. You will receive your orders right there in the brain-like building.”
The young woman said, “So, reserve two seats for me and my husband as well. We will definitely come. Just tell me what the date of the event is.” With the utmost respect, the engineer opened the door for her, catching the sight of a number of customers sitting in the waiting room. His eyes glistened with delight. He then faced the young woman and said, “It’s around two weeks from now, from April 12th to 14th, accompanied by the Trial of Habits taking place. For the first time ever in the world, a brain will take its body to court. It’s quite intriguing. You should definitely attend this trial.” The young woman said bye; and, while leaving, she added, “I’m already counting the days to make it to Brainland.” And, a short while later, a sentence was repeated, “Next patient, please!”
1A fictional island near New Zealand
In the Brain Repair Shop
While weeping tears, the young woman said, “I know it! I’m sure you have the habit of lying as well as the habit of ignoring me. Definitely you have many other bad habits I’m not aware of.” She stopped walking; and, while making threats against her husband with the movements of her fingers, she said, “You will soon be exposed for who you are. Just wait. I’ll show you.” The young woman’s husband angrily said, “I’ve had about enough of you and your habit of pessimism. I despise your habit of falsely accusing others. I’ve just run out of patience. Let’s go sooner. I also like to know your bad habits as soon as possible so I could set the record straight with you.”
They had gone to Brainland two days prior to the trial. They intended to change their bad habits sooner. They couldn’t bear living with bad habits anymore. The young woman and her husband were walking towards the brain-like building, fighting and arguing in the meanwhile. It was April 10th, a rainy morning; the rain, however, wasn’t heavy enough not to be able to walk underneath. The mountain road led to the heart of the jungle. On both sides of the road, bewitching streams were flowing between clumps of trees. The young woman’s husband would stop every couple of steps, looking at his surroundings. He was trying to enjoy the scenery; but, he was deprived of the habit of enjoying the nature. Beholding ponds and the mass of flowers that had grown there wouldn’t give him any feeling.
Along the road they had taken, some people, wearing gray t-shirts, were returning in a contemplative manner. They all were deeply immersed in their own thoughts. At times, one of them would stop moving and would lift up this side of his t-shirt, looking at one of his habits while counting the times it had been repeated throughout his life with disbelief. Afterwards, that person would mumble to himself and then again start moving on.
The brain-like building gradually came into view from far away. At the end of the way, where the road couldn’t climb the rocks anymore, it would end. They had reached their destination. A magnificent building was standing before their eyes whose façade was in the form of a massive white and gray brain, representing the human brain, a colossal one!
A rather strange group of words was written on the entrance signboard, The Center for Brain Repair. It was a name with which they were unfamiliar.
In front of the entrance door, a commotion was created. Some people were anxious, some others thoughtful, some placid and some tempestuous. The young woman and her husband stood at the end of the line. Facing the elderly woman who was waiting at the end of the line, the young woman said, “This place is more beautiful than Heaven!” Upon hearing the young woman, the elderly woman turned around to her and pondered for an instant, looking at the surrounding jungle and the far-flung ocean. While the delicateness of fine rain had made her skin wholesomely fresh, the elderly woman said, “Yeah! You’re right. I hadn’t noticed. It’s really a thing of beauty!” The young woman asked, “What is this line for?” The elderly woman replied, “For installing habit; an essential habit, a prerequisite one.” The young woman asked, “What habit?” The elderly woman replied, “The habit of working
on your own flaws.” A man who was standing ahead of a couple of people in the line and was looking for someone to talk said, “And, of course, for eliminating a habit, a harmful one.” The young woman asked, “What habit?” And, the man replied, “The habit of looking into the flaws of others.”
A woman who was holding a baby in her arms said with joy and enthusiasm, “Good news! Habits are free upon entry.” The husband of the young woman said with a thrill of excitement, “That’s amazing. But… But, why is that?” The man who was standing ahead of a couple of people in the line and had now found someone to talk said, “They do this to avoid quarrels, between wife and husband, father and son, brother and sister, associates and partners and the like. At an earlier time, all those who would come here only looked into the flaws of others, instead of working on their own flaws.” The woman with a baby in her arms said, “It is said that people used to scuffle with one another, exchanging blows from seaside to the depths of the jungle. People were having quarrels all over the island. Everything had gone downhill.” The young woman asked in surprise, “What happened next?” The elderly woman replied, “The quarrels came to an end and peace was brought back. And, all that is because nobody is in the habit of looking into the flaws of others anymore.”
An hour passed. It was the young woman and her husband’s turn. They entered the Calculation Room. In the fraction of a second, the case of their habits was taken care of and came to an end. The administrator of the Habit Repetition Calculation Room said, “Your gray t-shirts have been printed. You can pick them up and wear them. All that is in
your mind will be before your eyes now.” The young woman picked up her t-shirt and put it on. She took a look at the list of her bad habits and started brooding over it. The young woman’s husband also picked up his t-shirt and put it on. He took a look at the list of his bad habits and started brooding over it. They both headed for their next destination, the brain-like building; however, the administrator said, “Wait! Stay here. We must check to see if the installed habits are functional.”
The young woman and her husband paused. The administrator asked the young woman, “Do you want me to give you a series of valuable information about your husband’s bad habits?” The young woman said, “No! Not at all! I don’t want to know such a thing, because I’m not in the habit of minding other people’s bad habits.” The administrator also asked the young woman’s husband, “What about you? Do you want me to reveal a large number of your wife’s bad habits to you?” The young woman’s husband said, “Definitely not! This is her own business.” The administrator said, “You can leave now. Your habits have been activated.”
An hour later, under the light drizzle of rain, the young woman and her husband started returning to the city along the jungle road. On their way, they saw the elderly woman who had become mesmerized by beauties of the nature. She was beholding the butterfly wings and drops of dew on the leaves as if she had never ever seen such a scene in her life. The young woman’s husband was wearing a smile, envisioning a city whose residents were brimmed with good habits. A smile had conquered his whole visage. Such a city is exceptionally beautiful! He was thinking that all people will be kind towards one another
from now on. No one will cheat on another person. No one will violate the rights of another one. No one in the marketplace will defraud with short weights. The mayor will keep all his promises. The drivers will not go through the red light. People will be punctual when deciding to meet up. Police will not fine anyone for no reason. Judges judge justly. Officers don’t accept bribes. It is so delightful to live where all people have thrown away their bad habits. Everything will become more beautiful if such a thing comes true.
Holding hands while being elated by awe-inspiring beauties, he and his wife unhurriedly started moving towards the city. The young woman seemed extremely happy. That was because, despite her husband’s insistence, she hadn’t eliminated her one and only solace of heart, the habit of spending money wastefully. She had a strong dependence upon this
habit; and, she couldn’t let go of it that easily. Exuberantly and cunningly, she faced her husband and said, “It’s so great that we both got rid of the habit of lying, isn’t it?” Her husband untruthfully replied, “I totally agree!”
The founders of the Brain Repair Shop in the island of Brainland believe a brain that does not make decisions properly has in fact proven defective and must be repaired. Moreover, from their perspective, the only way to repair the brain is to correct the habits.
*************
Chapter Two
Getting to Know the Members of the Jury
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