While we may profusely object to any analogy linking human behavior to robotics, our daily activities do draw heavily from a background “Script” running in our heads … like “Tapes” in continuous “Play” mode.
In fact, we operate at a base level very similar to a computer, liberally using “If …, then …” statement processing against whatever background reference program we have on board.
The challenge is to get the background reference scripting right so that the “If …, then … “ processing doesn’t track us to places we don’t “belong” or don’t want to end up! Compare the following scripts:
“If I go to the mall with my friends …
… then I will become better connected to my friends …
… then my friends will like me more …
… then my friends will ‘have my back’ when I get into trouble.”
[… as though “getting into trouble” were de rigueur for “happening coolness”!]
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Alternatively * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“If I go to the mall with my friends …
… then I will miss doing my homework …
… then I will get grades less than I am capable of getting …
… then I will risk losing out on scholarships for college.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *or … Alternatively * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“If I do my homework …
… then I will get better grades …
… then my friends who are worth having (who also do their homework) will respect me more …
… then, together, we will become eligible for more scholarships and better jobs.”
The good news is that we come with some species-preservation hard-scripting already on board that we really don’t need to think about. We get hungry, we look for something to eat. We get cold, we seek warmth. We get alarmed or threatened, we go into “Fight or Flight” mode. Etc. The bad news is that we’re also “hard-scripted” for all the VICES!
As life has evolved, our options for “Becoming all that we can be” have tremendously expanded, but we have become increasingly dependent on continuously advancing the scripting – both editing and adding layers of “soft-scripting” – that will get us there.
Points to Ponder
Habits arise from background scripts.
Attitudes are directly derived from background scripts.
Our “inclinations” and directionality (i.e., “Vectoring”)
are closely integrated with our background scripts.
“Self Talk” is a means of overtly engaging our scripting to keep momentum going when things get tough.
Meditation (rather than medication!) can be extremely useful in getting our soft-scripting aligned with priorities, goals and Dreams. Mindful meditation (an excellent device for unhinged script editing) has, in fact, been implicated as an effective accessory in advanced brain remodeling:
“According to MRI scans, the hippocampus – the part of the brain in charge of learning and memory – thickens after only a couple of months of mindful meditation. Brain-cell density also decreases in the amygdala (responsible for fear, anxiety, and stress).” [Reader’s Digest 05-2016, p. 62]
Quakers used the term “Centering Down”, which they appeared to apply to considerable advantage.
Long walks are also an excellent means for script development and editing.
Mozart picked up his early scripting from his family’s immersion in music. His personal narrative began as early as age 3, and his first original compositions were emerging by age 5.
Where are you getting YOUR scripting?
- Family/Tribe
- School
- Job/Career/Professional Association
- The library
- People Magazine
- The Internet / Social Media
- Talk shows/Sit-Coms/Country Music
- The Daily Show/CNN/Today Show …
- Political Party
- Religious Organizations/Associations
- Sports
- Brute force experience
At any one time, we may have more than one script lurking in the background. Different circumstances may call out different scripts. We need to practice and perfect the art of LICENSING the particular scripts that will get us the best outcomes for those circumstances.
Our DEFAULT SCRIPTING is extremely important. In facing a block of “unscheduled time”, for example, we might “default” to a script of watching television or playing video games, but we might better “license” ourselves to dig out the script for meditation, exercise or planting seeds for the next big project.
LISTS are extremely important accessories in life-scripting, and can be particularly helpful in capitalizing on the unscheduled moment.
At some point, we do well to ask: “Whose script am I following?” And “Does this script make sense for ME and for where I’m going?” And the “If …, then … “ components of script reference background need to be consistent with fundamental goals, values and principles. We can hard-script certain maintenance activities via “rituals” and routines to gain efficiency and preserve sanity. But let’s get the higher-order scripting right … or ELSE … the narrative will end ajumble!
Finally, Scripting doesn’t need to be complicated. Simply defining and “owning” (i.e., “Being True” to) who you are and want to be sets the stage for everything you do and how you do it. Consider the fact that Abraham Lincoln did not become “presidential” after he was elected President; he had developed a “Presidential” script early in life and stayed true to that script throughout. Quartermaster
