This is a fascinating thread..though very 'deep'.

I can't begin to join the intellectual discussion here on a level with some of you, but I'd just like to make a couple of comments.

Amos...I've always believed too, that humans can make a decision to change themselves...to some extent. All my life I've worked with greater and lesser success, on changing things about my personality that I didn't like. From this experience it appears to me that we can decide to, and succeed in changing some things, but that there are some basic facets of personality which we cannot change no matter how hard we try. Interesting to look at the differences between what we can consciously change and what we can't.

When my children were small I took great joy in using everything we did together to teach and stimulate the children. Shopping was always great fun, for them and for me. We talked about things we saw, we counted things, read things..it was an almost limitless medium. I always worried when I saw some mothers dragging kids around the shops and totally ignoring them, even when the kids were asking questions. Nowadays you see Mum's towing toddlers round and talking on their mobile phones so that the kids get no input from or connection with their mothers. The thing here is that everything we do to and with children (adults too I guess, though probably to a lesser degree) has some effect. Abuse and trauma are extreme, but even every day attention or lack of it has an effect on the person's brain, brain function etc.

I say this from observation but no actual knowledge of brains and their workings.

Love Lynne