wheelReinforced … that is what happens whenever you perform an act and it is rewarded.  This is the reptilian brain in the human—the oldest, most vestigial part, designed for survival, and it does its job quite well.  But does it serve the more developed parts of you?  Does it also serve the soul?  Jesus said, “Be as the child,” but this is not recommended when you do a thing over and over for no higher purpose or to your detriment.  This is how addictions solidify.  Be as the child in that you exhibit joy and openness, but not when behaviors that do not serve you are reinforced and then become patterns to which you turn mindlessly.  Be as the child, indeed, imbued with creativity, but willing to stop before you act and ask, “Is this in the higher interest?”