Choice

Brain is the part of us humans that has by far the greatest plasticity of all organs. It can change or move its functions, be made to think a specific way, heal trauma or even change the perception of the senses. There are many medical cases where after

So if the brain has such a great plasticity, why most people firmly believe that "people don't change"? Of course after challenging this assumption what they admit is that "it's really hard for people to change" or that "rarely do people ever change". Why is that? Why have we come to accept that trauma, character, personality, habits, whatever we have come to identify with and rely on in order to construct our ego, is nearly impossible to change?

The answer might be simple although ever eluding. The problem is choice. We choose what feels familiar, what keeps reaffirming the aforementioned characteristics of our being, what confirms our identity and sense of self; no matter how hurtful, no matter how demeaning or how bothersome it is, it is ours and we do not want to let ourself go. As Alan Watts so eloquently put it:

"The root of mental disorder is not therefore a malfunctioning peculiar to this or
that ego ; it is rather that the ego-feeling as such is an error of
perception. To placate it is only to enable it to go on confusing
the mind with a mode of awareness which, because it clashes
with the natural order, breeds the vast family of psychological
frustrations and illnesses."

Thus the problem, is the solution. Choice is what can salvage us from our ego. Yes, there are methods, philosophies, practices that can help us come close to understanding or experiencing the desolution of our ego but at the end of the day what remains is choice. Do we have total control over our brain? No. But we do have total control of our actions. The trauma disposes us to act in a specific way, it does not make us. The addiction pushes us to act in a specific way, it does not make us.

It is interesting that maybe without realising, even our legal system has adopted this line of thought. Yes, the court might recongnise some mitigating circumstances such as the psychological state of the accused or their past experiences but ultimately (unless absolute insanity is assumed) the accused is held responsible for their choices.

I am not arguing that making a choice to change a behaviour or a habit, kick an addiction or a hurtful pattern is an easy task. Quite the contrary; it is probably one of the hardest things a humans can do and certainly is affected by innumerable other factors that depend on other humans and therefore the environment we live in. Nevertheless, whether such a process begins and succeeds or remains a fantasy and thus fails, ultimately comes down to choice. A very hard thing to do indeed, but at the same time, a rather simple one.