I don't doubt your words at all, Shamou, nor the possibility of change, just the likelihood of
rapid change.
Unlike software on PCs, the "programs" we run are a hierarchical arrangement of various responses to certain stimuli. The stronger and more frequent the stimuli, the more entrenched becomes the response. This is my understanding of how humans work at the basic neurological level. Our habits, and our personality, form through repeated exposure to certain stimuli.
If we use the computer analogy, it would be comparable to the computer's hard drive being something solid that gets engraved by the data written to it. The more frequently that same data is input, or if greater force is used, the deeper the engraving becomes. Changing that data isn't as simple as writing over it. You'd then have some deeply engraved data covered by some lightly engraved. When that data is read, you'll get both, and the old data will be more prominent.
True change requires redirecting the input to a new, clean section of the hard drive. But the old data will still be around, and unless the redirection is strongly reinforced, there's a strong chance that the input will lead right back to that old data.
In other words, I agree that change is possible, but I believe it requires strong and consistent reinforcement. Which you do provide by thinking of Donald Trump, or Ferrari, etc. I'm sure that I'll be able to do it just as easily once I've been doing it for 20 years. You're about 19 up on me
Lovely post Pam
