The 21-day Rule

“Excellence……is not an act but a habit” – Aristotle

I have often joked with friends and colleagues, that I am a compulsive goal-setter. Be it the new year (for a Bengali, this is twice in the year – well spaced out in January and April), the start of a month, the start of a week or sometimes a landmark date like say, Diwali. Collectively, I stay resolutions-ready for ten to fifteen times in a year!

So, when the government announced a lockdown, it was too good an opportunity to lose. Vaguely, I remembered reading that 21 days of repetitive behavior could be habit-forming. I found myself a relatively new and neat notebook (thanks to a daughter with a penchant for pretty notebooks; in my possession, since she left home) and firmly put down the date – March 25, 2020. The resolutions list is a little too personal to share, so we shall leave it out of this space.

With the good intention of reinforcing my resolve, I decided to do a quick check on the net about this 21-Day rule.  A study carried out at University College, London (chosen by default and not design, as often happens in internet searches) was not particularly encouraging. In the study group, 96 participants were asked to choose an everyday behavior that they want to turn into a habit. For 84 days of the study, they logged a report each day on whether they practiced the behavior and how automatic this felt. Without going into the details, suffice to say that 21-days is probably right if all you want to do is drink a glass of water immediately on waking up.

My resolutions list, surely, is a little more challenging than that! This after-all is day one, so one shall not feel daunted by such research findings.

Speaking here a little more about the number 21. In the world of Tarot, the number is symbolic with success and fulfillment of desires. Not being an expert on numerology, I will not attempt to support this fact (or otherwise) with an explanation but would welcome some knowledgeable insights from my dear readers.

The number 21 finds many references in the Bible and it is mainly associated with change - in the sense of moving from a state of “evil” to a state of “goodness”. It is believed that Jesus Christ appeared in 21 places in Palestine, in order to confirm to all his believers that he was resurrected. Borrowing from Greek philosophy, wisdom is believed to have 21 attributes. In the same way, we bestow adulthood at the age of 21 by recognizing maturity and responsibility in an individual.

On a significantly different note, I am also reminded of a Bengali rhyme – Ekushe Ain from Sukumar Ray’s collection of Abol-Tabol (The Nonsense Rhymes). Translated, literally, it means ‘(The) 21 Rules’. At its satirical best, it is a reflection on the arbitrariness of British Rule. For my non-Bengali friends, I would recommend checking out the English translation in Wordygurdyboom by Sampurna Chatterjee and, while you are at it, read up on some of his other rhymes, too. These nonsense rhymes are highly recommended to cut-out any sense of doom or ennui.

Finally, our PM has said winning the war against coronavirus will take 21 days as opposed to the 18 days taken to win the epic war of Mahabharata, underlining the enormity of the challenge posed by the disease. We are all struggling with an indefinite, indescribable and, for now, an indestructible virus that has brought the world to its knees. While this is a sobering thought, in many ways it is also a reminder to make each day count.

Stay safe, respect lockdown!

#Covid_19 #21dayslockdown #coronavirus #self-quarantined