Are We Responsible For Our Habits?

Brian Thomas, a decent man who suffers somnambulism–sleewalking–since he was a child and who one day drove a car without recollection of his actions when he woke up, murdered his wife in his sleep, mistaking her as a rapist raping his wife. He was later acquitted and was not held culpable arguing that he is not aware of his actions. The judge evidently knew he did not murdered his wife and even consoled him after the court was dismissed. On the other hand, Angie Bachmann, a pathological gambler, lost all her inheritance money after her parents died into gambling and took out a loan against her family’s house. She felt out of control of her life, which the casino company took advantaged of, that after inheriting almost 1 million dollars, with all the effort to stop gambling for years, she #succumbed to her old habits and lost everything with only a pile of debt. The casino company filed a lawsuit against her and she lost the case as the court deemed her responsible for her actions, despite of the same arguments her lawyer made as with Brian Thomas, that she had no control over her habits.

Should Angie Bachmann be treated the same way Brian Thomas was forgiven of his out-of-control sleepwalking? Bachmann knew her gambling #Habits existed and therefore have the opportunity to take some conscious action. On the contrary, Thomas can never control something he is not aware of, and therefore should not be held culpable for any actions he made or will do while sleepwalking.

Once we are aware of our habits, we are responsible for our habitual actions, good or bad. There are ways to deal with even the most irresistible habit, but it is up to us whether to capitulate to our urges or to #fight our most primal instinct.

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