Reshaping
Realities
It never ceases to amaze me, what the human mind is capable
of bringing into being.
I had the pleasure of spending this past weekend with my
father. Dad is an engineer for Northrup Grumann, and at one point over dinner
the conversation turned to the next generation of scientific advancement. Dad –
as is his habit when this subject comes up – got a gleam in his eye and broke
into a wide smile as he described the next wave, what is commonly referred to
as Nanotechnology.
In its simplest terms, nanotechnology is the programming of
the atom. Imagine a countertop in your kitchen, for example, that had been
constructed out of nanotech materials. It could be programmed to react to
various substances – say, liquid – in order to contain spills. Imagine a
counter whose surface, upon contact with any sort of liquid, changed shape to
form small bowls in order to trap and contain the spill. Or imagine that same
counter that was able to fold up and fit into a cupboard with the push of a
button. Nanotechnology makes physical, solid forms plastic and malleable, able
to shift and change shape to suit what ever the needs of the moment might be.
The applications of atomic programming (computing, construction, medicine,
transportation and more) are limitless, and will radically alter the way we
live and think about reality.
As my father was talking about the new science fiction
becoming fact, I found myself thinking about some of the most recent advances
in Neurology. It was believed for many years that the mind was fairly rigid,
that by the age of three or four it had developed all the traits and patterns
of thought that would form an individual’s personality and manner of relating
to the world – the habits of our perceptions, if you will – and that these
habits would remain for the rest of our lives. Now, science had demonstrated
that while the personality may be fairly set, our perceptions and the habits of
our mind are not. In fact, they are highly plastic, able to take new shape and
new form with a sustained effort. Much like Dad’s nanotech, with the right
programming (the right patterns of thought, that is), the mind can alter its
perceptions and begin into interact with the world in a whole new way.
This is the best part of being a counselor.
The fact is, with consistent effort and the proper guidance,
there is nothing that the mind cannot not
overcome. In many ways, you can bring your life – the one you daydream
about while reading these emails at work – into being. You can make your
fiction fact. No matter the difficulty that you struggle with, be it a
relationship, weight control, self-esteem, anxiety, depression or what-have
-you, there are proven ways of shifting your thinking, and with it, your life.
All you need is the desire to change.
Jason Burnett, MS, MS Candidate
Copyright 2009 – Take Charge Counseling
and Consulting – All Rights Reserved