The Power of Training
You are either programming your brain or it is being programmed for you
Imagine your brain is a computer. You are the operator/programmer. You can program your brain to do things without you having to be in constant control. You can also relinquish control to others. They then control your life.
I interned in the private practice of E. L. Crowder. Dr. Crowder was pilot in command of a plane shot down over enemy lines during World War II. He told me that they practiced how to jump out of a plane. Over and over again they would grab a parachute as they jumped out. He couldn’t get one of his crew to grab the chute. “I’ll remember,” he said. Dr. Crowder said it was an awful feeling to watch as his friend jumped out of the plane exactly as he had practiced. He fell to his death.
Perhaps you have heard of the four stages of competence. Back when shoes had laces, parents tied the shoes for infants. The infants didn’t even know what shoes were. They were unconscious incompetent at tying shoes. As they got older, they became conscious incompetent. They knew shoes had laces but someone else had to tie them. Eventually, they learned to tie shoes. They had to concentrate. They were conscious competent. Adults tie their shoes without looking and while talking with someone. They have become unconscious competent. That is a process of programming the brain.
Perhaps you have had an experience similar to mine. I drove home from work the same way every night. My wife asked me to stop at the store on the way home. I remembered the store as I saw the garage. What happened? I activated the “go home” program in my brain. I thought about other things and allowed the program to take me home. I forgot to override the program at the store.
Not only are our actions programmed. Our thinking is programmed as well. My grandson woke up and came out to sit on my lap. He was learning to talk. He saw my cup and said, “hot coffee.” I explained that the coffee was no longer hot but was still coffee. Then it hit me. What if I had told him, it was chocolate? What if everyone in his family told him that coffee was chocolate? One day he would order chocolate at a restaurant expecting to get coffee. Wouldn’t he be upset?
Our parents, teachers, preachers, advertisers, (in fact all experiences of life) have programmed our brains for us before we had developed control. In fact, many (maybe most) people are still living programmed lives. The way we get control is to question what we believe. That is difficult. The brain seems to have a program to look for evidence that reinforces the previous programming.
It has been said that it is easier to fool someone than to convince someone they have been fooled. Now you know the reason. The way out is to become a real person. Question your previous beliefs. Look for evidence that you are wrong. Change your programming. Become open to new ideas. I love seeing the craziness of my mind. It makes me smile.
I hope that is why you enjoy reading these posts. If we can poke each other in the ribs just a little, perhaps we can become a more open and caring society.