Growing up, I was very analytical in making and executing any important decision, hardly ever giving in to impulses. If my entire family was watching a film, I would simply tell myself that joining them instead of doing my homework would just make me regret my decision the next day and as easily as that, I could turn away from the sensory temptation.

All that changed when I entered college. For the first time, I found myself giving in to fear and insecurity, despite my brain vehemently arguing against them. Suddenly, my “Do the right thing simply because it is right” mantra was not enough. It took me a long time to just recognise this and even longer to accept my shortcoming.

This experience made me realise that we never know anything about ourselves for certain. We may say that we will never steal even if we are starving, but we will never know for sure until we actually feel the pangs of days-long hunger. This doesn’t mean that it is okay to succumb to our (for lack of a better word) weaknesses. Rather accepting and acknowledging that it is possible for us to default given specific circumstances can help us mentally better prepare ourselves and be more aware when we are put in such a situation.

The next time we think that we will never/always act in a particular way, we should ask “What circumstances might make me go against my principles?”. This does not guarantee that we will not deviate from our resolve, but we are more likely to catch ourselves doing it early on. Recognising the problem is, after all, half the solution.