The human mind is a marvelous thing. As young children develop, complex arrays of language, logic, and cultural awareness are assimilated at a dizzying rate. But the mind's ability to adapt and absorb is not limited to the young.
      A growing body of research indicates that the human intellect, if exercised, can continue to retain its strength well into old age. In studies involving the elderly, intellectual activity has been associated with increased intelligence and a reduction of the risk of Alzheimer's Disease ("The Brain is Like a Muscle," Lauran Neergard, Associated Press, 7/24/00).
      But this essay is not a testimonial in praise of human intellect. Rather, it considers our ability to make choices, and the effect of our choices upon the mind itself.
      Most scientists believe that a combination of environmental factors, genetic predispositions, and individual choices are involved in human behaviors. Because of the complexity of these factors, specific human behavior is not consistently predictable.
      It is obvious that we are not solely subject to our instincts, and that the human mind can modify or exclude instinctive options. For example, most of us would not steal a hot, fragrant bagel from a restaurant, even if we were extremely hungry and had left our money at home. Our mind overrules our instinctive desire to stuff the hot bagel into our mouths.
      We can easily see that our mind affects our behavior. But does our behavior affect our mind?
      What happens to the human mind when established patterns of behavior are radically altered... can new behavior, consistently implemented, reorient the entire mental grid? The answer to this question appears to be a qualified, "yes."
      Medical research indicates that radical alterations in behavior can lead to measurable changes in the human mind. In "The Chemistry of Obsession," (Discover, June, 1996), Josie Clausiusz reported a finding related to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). A team of researchers at the UCLA School of Medicine used brain-imaging techniques, "to show that key brain structures whose activity is abnormal in OCD patients operate normally after (behavioral) therapy."
      By demonstrating the beneficial effects of worthwhile changes in behavior, the UCLA research indicates the efficacy of ancient ideas regarding individual empowerment and personal responsibility. Subjects in the study, by changing their behavior for the better, demonstrably improved their mental health.
      Human habits, good or bad, have mind-altering properties. Our beliefs, and our consequent thoughts and choices, transform our inner being... for better, or for worse.
      Throughout our lives, from beginning to end, our decisions shape the patterns of our perceptions.