A Reset Button for the Human Ape – World “Peace” in a Few Years

Have you ever noticed how children tend to be so much more open minded than adults? Their minds are like little sponges that absorb information and view points. It seems that as we age, we have a tendency to be less open minded.  This phenomenon has been quantified.

Open to New Ideas

Open to New Ideas

We are all the products of our biology, the environment and the interplay between those two forces. The old saying, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” comes to mind. In many ways, most of us have always had basically very similar values to the people we grew up around. Those values were bestowed upon us during an impressionable time in our brain’s development.

What if we could “reset” adults so that they were as open minded and impressionable as children again? Of course we should leave their existing memories in place. Our memories make us who we are to a point. How we view past events depends as much on how we feel at the time of recall as it does on how we felt during the initial event. Nostalgia is an example of this phenomenon. We often recall events far in the past as “the good old days”, “when times were simpler”.  Even when those times were not good at all and far from simple.

Good Old Days  Weren't Always Good

Good Old Days Weren’t Always Good

Many adults get locked in to a pattern of thinking from which they never escape. A destructive example of this can be seen in what I like to call “Kamikaze’s on Autopilot”. They are the people who continue to carry on unhealthy habits like not exercising, smoking, eating too much junk food etc even when they know it shortens their life span. No matter what you tell them, they never change. People in sustained conflicts show similar traits.

I believe one of the root causes of sustained world conflicts is the inability of the participants to change their minds (mind change) and decide not to be in conflict.  If all sides in a conflict decided to stop disagreeing and harming each other, the conflict would cease. It sounds simple. Yet we know it is very difficult. It is possible that inability to mind change is a limitation of our biology that can be overcome with a “reset” drug or treatment.

The pharmaceutical and military industry could spearhead research into a “reset” drug.  Working hand in hand they could come up with the best delivery method and chemical composition. It would most likely have to be administered clandestinely to entire communities at a time.

Potential Delivery Mechanism

Potential Delivery Mechanism

What would the effects of a working “reset” drug look like?

It would be essential that the drug only have an effect for a limited time. The drug would have to be partnered with a social outreach component. A campaign designed to expose the communities to new ideas. Imagine entire communities, cities or countries filled with adults as receptive to new ideas as children.

Major conflicts in the effected communities might not cease overnight. The saturation of the community with new ideas coupled with techniques for managing internal states of mind and disagreements would be needed.

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64 thoughts on “A Reset Button for the Human Ape – World “Peace” in a Few Years

  1. sazzydan2

    I do not really think this could work, for a few reasons.

    If the effect was temporary, it would not continue once the effects stopped, so the ability to change your mind would diminish. The second, is I think this actually messes with free will a little bit, so I would not really condone the use it on humans really. Perhaps if it put you in a mindset that allowed you to think about something more clearly, instead of simply changing your mind then maybe, but it is still a little dangerous I think!

    1. sabb87

      This all sounds a little dangerous. It defiantly sounds like you might be taking away peoples free will. Also, it sounds like it could be used to convince people of bad ideas by taking away there better judgment. Especially if the military and government is spearheading this operation.

      1. Wheezybz

        I’m not sure if your assertions are correct. You’re imagining this as more along the lines of mind-control or sedation (like the effect alcohol has on people). What this intends is to make it easier for the human brain to open up its horizons and look past the bias our minds hold.

    2. suegiplaye

      I really am not a big fan of pharmaceutical companies. Even if this drug is FDA approved, it may have crazy side effects that may effect the adult taking it in the long run. Also the articles mentions that the effects on the adult human mind would only be temporary. When humans try to act like God and change something, the effects are always disastrous.

  2. Crc3thebest

    Though an open mind is beneficial on some issues such as knowledge, it coul be detrimental in some areas. One thing to remember is unlike a child our knowledge has increased as a result of experience.

    1. Renkinjutsushi

      Could you give some examples? In what areas having an open mind could be detrimental? I really can’t think of any.

      About the subject, I wonder if there’s any movie exploring it, because that would be interesting to watch, but to be honest this seems more unlikely than creating AI.

      1. oportosanto

        That’s a good question Renkinjutsushi. Sure, we gain experience and that has it’s obvious value, but at the same time the capacity to learn without effort that kids have is something remarkable. So I don’t think that being open minded is detrimental do learning, quite the opposite.

  3. nss

    I agree with the above commenter. I don’t think it would work. It is amazing though to think about children and their open-mindedness compared to when they become adults. The mind seems to set in its ways once you reach a certain age. So sad.

    1. oportosanto

      It’s all our fault really. I remember that when I was a kid I never thought, I was observing and learning all the time. These days I spend most of my time immersed in my thoughts, abstractions really and this is what prevent us from learning I believe.

  4. sagrimo

    This, in essence, is mind control. The drug takes away the persons ability to have organic thoughts. The assumption is that they take the drug and it resets their thinking. However, what happens if they have this “reset” and still come to the same conclusion they were at? Then the conflict remains. I don’t see this being something feasible. What would make more sense is to continue teaching our children to be open minded and knowledge seeking. Teach them not to settle for the first answer that comes their way, but to really understand something before they choose how to act. No pill needed!

    1. Bonbinski

      I agree completely with you sagrimo. This is a more subtle way of enacting mind control over a population. It reminds me of the movie “Serenity” and the drug they gave a population to curb angry/negative thoughts. It takes away our human right to have our own organic thoughts and feelings.

      It is our job as humans to be able to think through things and come to a conclusion where anger and violence are not needed actions. Of course, MUCH easier said than done.

      I did want to note that researchers have been able to eliminate certain memories in mice so that they do not remember the layout of mazes or the negative experiences that mouse had with the researchers or other mice. It is, in essence, what this post is about: selective memory repression. Interesting research, but barely out of the womb as far as how advanced it is.

    2. egads

      Yes I was thinking the same thing. First thing that came to my mind was the CIA and their ECT research. They tried to create a ‘clean slate’ to program super spies or whatever.

      When it comes to treating addiction or behavioural issues the little bit of psychology I have learned has told me that cognitive behavioural therapy is the most effective route for treatment.

      1. egads

        Also I forgot to mention, children may be more impressionable than adults, but their brains are also physiologically different from adult brains. I don’t think any drug is going to revert an adult back to a child brain in such a way that it can recover and ‘grow up’ again.

        1. ellyjude

          Egads dear, the world of technology is unpredictable. You might not be expecting the drug to be invented then when you get home one evening you get it in your medicine shelf. What will you do? Throw it away?

  5. Viorel2

    I agree with the posters above, and I would also like to add that our attitude towards the world (our as in adults) is different from the ones of children also because of neuro-biological differences. A “reset” drug would have to affect the whole way our brains work in order to achieve that effect. I’m worried of the consequences of doing this. Also, if the memories are not erased, I don’t see how that is possible. Would we re-interpret those memories? I think there are a lot of issues whit this, but it is definitely an interesting idea.

    1. Sara

      Exactly, this “reset drug” doesn’t seem practical at all, maybe there are easier ways to do this…why not educate ourselves that we need to think freely every once in a while and listen to each other more often, that seems way more practical than this fantasy .

  6. KimberlyD

    It pushes to far into violating a persons free will if they were to mass distribute this on their own. If a person wants the drug that is different but to force a persons perceptions to be opened without out their knowledge or consent is both morally and socially wrong. Not to mention, what would be the side effects of this possible drug. All drugs have side effects, some worse then others. Perhaps we should let nature be and offer open mindedness to those who want it.

  7. Jasmine2015

    I think the reason why children seem to be more open minded is because their minds have not been dumped with what is and what is not socially acceptable. As a young adult in my 20s, I have noticed a change in my thinking pattern. Right now I am working with a lot of personal issues such as logical fallacies and confirmation bias. This is different then how I used to think as a child, which would be in terms of black and white.

    It is not a matter of whether or not it is possible for a person to change his/her mind, but rather how reluctant they are to doing so. I have done a lot of reflecting on everything I have been taught and exposed to. I have noticed that sometimes people hold on to their beliefs because they have invested their life into it. I often times see that when you try addressing or questioning a person’s belief, they may feel as though they themselves are being personally attacked. Of course you are not attacking the person, just questioning the belief. Sometimes it is because a person is so invested in a particular belief that no amount of debating, use of logic,or critical thinking skills will shake a person’s belief no matter how intelligent the person is. They would have so much to lose if they lost their specific belief.

    I think the more conscientious we are about the fact that we are prone to certain things such as conforming to others, then the less likely we are to let others pump our minds with garbage. Learning how to filter out what does and does not enter your mind is something that comes with practice and experience with life. Being able to develop your critical thinking skills definitely helps.

  8. rzbh

    If you can keep the memories, how’d that work? I mean, memories form a good chunk of personality after all – or rather an event, and how you react to that, which then stored in your memories, act as a base for your personality.

    So, if you keep your memory, I doubt there’ll be change in personality. Then again, religious/secular brainwashing exist, and… there’s really no ‘certainly good or bad’ way about it…

  9. Sevrin

    Hmm…what you’re suggesting seems a little bit beyond far-fetched. The psychological stress and formation of the adult mindset is a direct result of memories and a few other factors. What makes us “experienced” and “knowledgeable” are conclusions reached from events we encounter or observe. To make us as impressionable as children again, I do not think keeping the memories intact is a viable option.

  10. ZXD22

    Yea I did notice how kids always have a say to things, even if they are not part of the discussion. I like it since it is a great way for them to explore and give their opinions. It teaches them how to stand up for themselves and not be shy about their beliefs and what not. Of course there is only so much they could do for their age.

  11. Alex

    We can reset our brains, but the life of a child compared to the responsibilities of an adult varies and thus, even if the mind sets were able to be ‘reset’ the actual actions would be very different.

    I do believe it’s down to personality, environment and also family influences; these can remain with you regardless. It become a part of who you are, or you deny those beliefs and form your own from books, teachers, films or the media. I haven’t changed much since my childhood beliefs, a little more cynical but that’s from experience of the adult world and the reality of it. What is preached doesn’t always happen and society is a facade of what we wish to see.

    People will always want power; when people are content with what they have then peace will occur. Human nature has jealously, arrogance and greed and you only need to look at history where world leaders had so much, yet they wanted more.

  12. phoenix15

    “If every 8-year-old is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world in one generation” – Dalai Lama.

    Whether the Dali Lama is right or not or not, we will never know, because … well, we’re just not going to teach every eight-year-old in the world how to meditate. Could you imagine the logistical nightmare!?

    But, I think the Dali Lama and the author of this article are starting from the same premise: We are still more ape-like than we probably want to be, we need a major consciousness shift to begin to evolve into a peaceful species, and though some adults may be able to make that difficult shift, it’s really going to depend on focusing on the children, because they are the most willing to try something new.

  13. GlacialDoom

    The “reset” button you are talking about is brain washing. I’d strongly disagree against a medicine which can control somebody’s mind, even if it’s for a minute. It’s against our nature, and if this is the way we are marching as a species, then I want to be left behind.

    Not only is this against human nature, but it will probably be used as a weapon against certain people. Imagine thousands of soldiers being brainwashed to walk into a mine field after they eat their lunches, or imagine country leaders forced into agreeing with certain deals which favor other countries.

  14. CrowdedHighways

    There is probably a reason to why we are not as open-minded and impressionable as little children, and that reason can probably be found within our memories. So no, I don’t think that it would be possible to make us as children again without making us lose a huge chunk of our memories.

  15. turtledice

    The reason why we are not as open-minded and impressionable as young children is one word. Experience. We’ve lived life, we’ve been through things that the little kids have not. We know how it’s like to be hurt , to be betrayed , basically every negative thing. Whereas kids look for the positives. The drug could work, but it probably has to remove a lot of memories for it to do so.. which just doesn’t seem feasible.

  16. venant

    Many of the previous commenters have mentioned that this is akin to mind control, that it fiddles with free will, and that this is pretty much undoubtedly a sketchy idea that can easily be taken advantage of by those in power. I would add to it that the reason our minds become ‘set’ is because of the fact that the plasiticity of our brains diminishes over time, meaning it becomes harder and harder for us to make retain new knowledge and make new ‘folds’ in our brain matter, which correspond with the retention of new inputs. As a result, those views and thoughts which we set on at a younger age become hardwired into our brains, setting us into certain modes and attitudes.

    We rage and fight against our nature in order to find a magical solution to that which we know is detrimental to our species, but such things can only come about through sustained education and cultural outreach over very long periods of time so as to reach brains before they become set, and generationally weed out inferior ways of thinking.

  17. Cinna

    Personally, I wouldn’t mind having my brain reset! I think that many people would be opposed to it though, so much so that the idea will never come to be. There is also such a possibility for it to be used for the wrong purposes.

    Instead, we need to focus on ways to create peace and unity within our society. I live where the Ferguson Riots occurred last August and November – a very divided city with a lot of anger right now. Many different social service organizations are finding ways to promote good things in our community right now. Everything from helping people get jobs to handing out yard signs decrying the violence we’ve seen. Those type of organizations are the key to ‘fixing our messed up world since people will not go for the pill idea.

  18. denelizr

    I agree this is like a form of mind control. It would be nice to live in an open minded world but I rather we achieve that with an organic way of thinking. Some people may irk us with their mindset but it’s what makes us all unique and different. Take that away and I’d feel like a clone or robotic somehow. I don’t know, it just sounds unsettling to me. The intentions sound great, but no. Allow people to be who they are.

  19. katien

    I don’t know. Seems like something like this could go horribly wrong. What if adults who took this drug ended up not only more open-minded but otherwise childlike- stubborn, unwilling to follow direction and with a short attention span?

    Childhood is a great thing but it only comes once and we have to accept that.

  20. Kuraya

    Aside from any possible side effects, this drug could create a new generation of geniuses, who have the intelligence of adults and open-mindedness of children, which are the two most important characteristics of geniuses. Just look at Albert Einstein for instance, he was often referred to as being childish, yet he essentially made the base for all modern science.

  21. Sara

    We need to fund this, it’s great, and not just the racism, but the homophobia might go away as well, maybe with adults become open minded they learn to respect every belief and culture therefor we could finally let each other be…

    though religions must be worried because the second an adult mind is free from all the religious beliefs that has been pushed to it from childhood, he would never go back….

  22. Freelancepreneur

    Honestly I think this would ultimately lead to more of a negative than a plus, as that means ultimately manipulating the masses into whatever the government wants them to be or do, would be much easier. I would rather stay the way I am as an adult currently, rather than essentially being reset, and being made up to do what whoever may be in control wants me to do. I think the short-term might be feasible, but ultimately it will end up in the wrong hands for the long-term and only be a negative to society if such a thing ever went mainstream.

  23. kriegersan

    Very interesting article!
    In my opinion, a drug would not work for resetting one’s mindset and making him or her more open minded, regardless of age. I think this process should come from within each individual, and not as an external aid. I also noticed that the tendency it be less open minded grows with age by observing my parents and grandparents. They tend to reject many modern day things and ideas simply because they are too stubborn or too unaware to change their old views. I just hope that I won’t follow the same path.

  24. vegg

    I think this is a tricky subject. What exactly do we reset to? One man’s vice is another man’s virtue. I don’t think conflict arises because of a good and a bad side, it’s usually two people who think they are right. So right, in fact, that they think violence is justified against the opposing side. How could you defeat those strong feelings while maintaining the memories that helped form them?

    Which side do you pick to reset to?

    I do see the virtue in eliminating violent conflict in general, but I don’t know if that’s something we develop as we age. It is true that children seem to exhibit a certain kind of peaceful innocence, but I knew some pretty bratty kids growing up. I think violence is an unfortunate tendency of the human race under certain circumstances. How could we eliminate part of our nature while remaining human?

  25. FuZyOn

    You know, I would really love if I would be as open-minded as I was in the past but if the “reset” button also crushes my experience then it’s a no-no. I’ve learnt a lot of useful things from when I was a kid to a grown-up adult and I wouldn’t trade life experience for anything in the world.

  26. turtledove

    This doesn’t sound like a very good idea, for a number of reasons. First off, there’s a reason that people have become more closed minded as they age: experience. Different people’s memories and experiences shape their decisions and opinions, and if these sort of things were shut down, as well as doing open-minded and positive things, people would also do chaotic and ridiculous things which they had previously learnt not to do from experience. This kind of ‘reset drug’ can’t pick which things to be open-minded about and which things not to be, therefore meaning that people would start doing dangerous things which they’re now ‘open-minded’ about.
    I think that if someone really wants to be open-minded, they should consciously make the effort rather than trying to reset themselves and erase what makes them themselves.

  27. lomcfad

    If only we could snap our fingers and create a more accepting world. However, I don’t think it’ll ever be that simple. If the effects of a drug are temporary, it could still impact someone long term. It could serve as an epiphany. The effects are temporary, but the person still remembers. However, I think it would be too conflicting. First off, many see it as intruding on free will. Also, it is a drug that messes with the mind. Any such drug can be dangerous. Lastly, the people who could “benefit” from it are ones who are stubborn in changing their viewpoints. Why would such people willingly take such a drug. Anyone who is set in their ways, will likely refuse to willingly take a drug that will supposedly change their minds. They do not want to have their minds changed. Similarly, someone who is not racist or who is for equal marriage rights would be against taking a drug that would change to mind to be racist or to see things another way. When you switch the roles, it does not seem very fair. Thankfully, the world has been growing towards acceptance in all aspects. We have come such a far way. It may never be an all accepting world but in the end, it is up to society.

  28. guruproto

    I’m going touch on a few points of what you said to give my opinion. A drug that acts like “reset button” could potentially help humans understand one another. But the primary reason that I believe it could not work, or would at least need to be significantly altered to work, is the memory aspect. If the people who used this drug still retained their memories, I doubt their perspective of the world would change much.

    Many of the biases and stereotypes that we carry today are a result of both teaching and past experiences (memories). If there have been several instances in my life where, for instance, I gave a homeless person money and they immediately spent it on alcohol, I would probably think of homeless people as alcoholics. I would be less sympathetic towards the homeless as a result of my past experiences, and not necessarily what I was taught.

  29. rhauze

    This kinda sounds like taking someone’s free will away. How would this mind change drug be regulated? Like anything, it could be abused by people who for whatever reason are afraid of stability or commitment of any kind. Would there be criteria by which someone could be forced to change their mindsets? Who would decide that criteria? Part of life is either deciding to change or not, and having the right to be miserable if you want to be.

  30. thecorinthian

    How curious that is, how one will be able to reset a person’s reaction to the situation while keeping the memory intact this kind of mindwiping will change an individual’s perspective in life but I wonder though if this drug happened to be real and world peace would actually come about would violence be just a dream? You’re gonna have to force feed this pill to the people or find a way to get it in the air or water without their knowledge. Actually now that I think of it that’s a good possibility. But what is life without a little good or bad? How will we know one without the other? Life would be so bland, passions would dissipate, people will die for lack of lifeforce. This “reset button” might possibly be the end of civilization as we know it.

  31. oraclemay

    I do not believe that there will be success in this area with the use of drugs. It is humans who make this so difficult with their unreasonable nature and unwillingness to listen and cooperate with each other. Change can only come if we change our minds and this needs to be taught, not forced on anyone by controlling them.

    One can never gain peace through the same thing that all the uproar is about in the first place – Control.

  32. sbatz72

    I tell you, this is a little terrifying. It almost seems as though an adult could be just as easily brainwashed as a child. I think that I would be nervous about taking any kind of reset pill.
    I cannot say that I would not like to watch a filmed outcome of one incidence or group setting where the participants were drugged to reprogram their minds. It might be interesting to watch and then determine if the demonstrator is or is not trying to take advantage of the participants.
    I guess it can be abused easily. Like for instance, it can be that someone administers these reset drugs and has all participants commit murder.

  33. Issac Asimov

    I could see the military-industrial complex taking a look at this type of drug, but not pharmaceuticals.
    Potentially, a drug with this effect could literally end a war overnight.
    However, I don’t see how any country could use a weapon like that as it would be going against chemical warfare laws.
    A very interesting concept to say the least and another great article!

  34. edustadar001

    Regarding the very popular sentence “The good old days” it is to say that people are never satisfied enough. They want every time more and more. If the time is getting worse then they remember on the “good old days” and are speaking about the past how “wonderful” this time was. People who are now young will react the same if the future will receive again a strong technical boom.

  35. caross

    Open-mindedness is not a trait that all children have, Look at kids who have been raised with strict, or right-winged, parents. They’re often as close-minded as any ‘old’ person. A drug isn’t the way to go, but well reasoned and careful education during childhood would have the same effect.

  36. TheDutchman

    This sounds extremely dangerous and I certainly hope it is never developed. The potential for abuse here is almost unlimited. Now under the guise of “world peace” entire countries could be infiltrated and undermined, this seems to be more of a biological weapon than anything else

  37. soph

    I don’t like the idea of changing someones view of things through a drug. It alters reality for people and it could be extremely dangerous in a sense.
    There are a lot of ways to motivate someone to better their life but I don’t think the use of chemicals should be necessary, even if it is for a good cause. It’s only temporary anyways so the person would have to take the drug on a daily basis, which shouldn’t be encouraged.

  38. ISKMogul

    Setting aside the logistical, biological and scientific flaws with this idea, I see a much bigger issue.

    As an anti-statist and someone who believes in equality I would be vehemently opposed to this hypothetical solution on two grounds.

    1. The only way this could be possibly be developed in a “safe” manner would be through an open-source collaboration. If it were to come to fruition, there would likely be a massive push for some kind of antidote to counter it’s effect. The predictable outcome is that it creates a scenario where everyone is taking the antidote due to paranoia. And the entire point becomes moot.

    2. Even as much as I hate bigots, I cannot reconcile the idea of essentially wiping out someones mind, even with the intent of fixing a perceived issue. Societies can change their culture organically without intervention by the state. This entire post reeks of the common Neo-Liberal idea that risk and the potential for a solution justifies the state and it’s increasing control. This is something I cannot agree with.

  39. Coolbutlame

    I would take that reset pattern in a heartbeat. My depression has lead to being fed up by the smallest bother. To be able to talk to another human being without inhibition would be so wonderful. I always have the faintest fear that bad intentions are in play for everyone, and my cynicism may have something to do with it. I was so ridiculous as a child… Oops, there’s that “good old days” mode kicking in.

    I would hope for a pill like this to be limited, however. Maybe it would be a shot of dopamine to the brain in a non-psychoactive format. The only concern is that it would turn into an opiate, and I know there’s no need for any other substance abuse in the world.

  40. briannagodess

    I think this reset pill could work as long as after the reset, the adult is exposed to experiences that can open his mind and make him more accepting to changes. Just like what we would like our children to be, we read to them, discipline them and make them explore things. I guess that there are people who were raised in an environment that is not as enriching as others. This makes them rigid or closed minded. I wish a pill is not needed to make them recondition their minds. Therapy or support are great ways of helping another person work through his or her issues.

  41. lebrennan

    It is nice to think that something like this, if even possible to make, could help end conflicts but in the wrong hands it could be terrible. I see governments using it to stop revolutions and make people more accepting of their policies, which would be bad since no government is uncorrupt in some form. I could see it working, perhaps, on a smaller, less globally influential way by being a personal drug someone takes when going back to school, learning a new skill or language, or if they, personally, want to change the way they see things. The most reliable, safest, form of change we have is education. Children need to be taught, early on, how to think critically, understand others perspectives, and be exposed to differing cultures, view points, and as many positive and challenging experiences as possible. It is slow, close minded adults will resist it, and it is not perfect but it is the best way, in my opinion.

  42. KCDavis

    If anyone figured out how to do this I would be terrified. This would be a drug that would be slipped to people with out their knowledge in order to make people think the way others want them to think. See children have to learn how to make their own decisions and form their own opinions. In order to make it so that every one is as open minded as children you have to take that ability away. At least that is how I feel about it.

  43. oraclemay

    Well I was thinking I hope we are no longer here when this takes place, but how do we know this is not already taking place. I think it certainly may be happening , even in part, somewhere in the world. I hope we never have to experience anything like this in our lifetime.

  44. Trixen

    For me, there is nothing wrong with how adults think. It is simply based on experiences. Adults have been exposed to so much more that they were able to formulate certain defense mechanisms. What’s wrong is the ability to be fair. How a society works is not based on your own perception alone. The reset drug can help on this but only if its for a short time. Yes, free will is important and we have rights. But “your right ends when mine begins”.

  45. darkrebelchild

    I can relate to this a lot because I have thought about this recently. Most of the world problems we have today is because of the adult’s mindset; if grown ups thought like children, many of the crises we face today would not exist.

    A reset program would have limitations or side effects; the best treatment is to educate ourselves on embracing unity and diversity. Life is too short.

  46. kate

    Children aren’t just open minded though. Working with children you quickly see bullying and harassment even in playschool. While the causes are different, they are still quite happy to hit someone over who gets to play with the truck, which is when an adult has to step in to correct them. Morals and ethics develop over time, so is there not a risk that you would be resetting those along with the close-mindedness you refer to?

  47. Novelangel

    Humans have free will. This is a simple fact and if a drug of some sort that changes the mind without the person being a free will participant existed, many of us would react to it quite violently, I believe. This would be a form of mind control, and people don’t like that sort of thing. People have to be convinced to change their minds, rather than simply controlled like automatons. I think a drug of this nature would cause a serious uprising that no mind control would ever ease.

  48. Polaris

    Some people seem to willingly keep themselves from closing down their capability to learn and adapt, which is crudely refered to as “keeping one’s mind open”. But this is a hard lifestyle to pursue because following pre-determined ques and responding as per expected (stereotypicaly that is) requires much less thought process. That’s why many people feel that the ‘old times’ were ‘simpler’.
    For now, it’s possible to make a person adapt their ‘default’ settings by placing them into an enviroment where if they don’t adapt they don’t survive. It’s just like adapting to a new workplace where you detest everyone and everything including your job but have to fall in line because this is your only chance of paying back a huge college debt.

  49. oportosanto

    That is a fact and I know a saying that is “old donkey doesn’t learn languages” referring to the incapacity of old people for learning. I do think that this is all about perspective and being available. Sure, young people or kids and like sponges and have the capacity to learn faster, but we can also reset and learn to some extent.

  50. anorexorcist

    Oh my god, I have thinked about this before but you just put it into words. This would be absolutely amazing! The only thing that I can see now is how the concept of homosexuality and transsexuality would change for older people and from people who are of really strict religious backgrounds, maybe it wouldn’t change that much when it comes to really religious people, but I think that this might to wonders for them, imagine all the closed minded parents from queer people just simply become supportive… That’s what I would call simpler and golden years, lol.

  51. rz3300

    Well I just love to imagine the things that I could learn and be opened up to if I had this proverbial reset button. I would like to think that I am better than most people when it comes to shutting themselves out and not being open minded anymore, but I could just be being personally biased or nice to myself, and that would not be the first time. The world would be a much healthier and intelligent place….maybe someday. Thanks for sharing.

  52. SFOMH88

    A drug with “reset” capabilities has the potential to be something great and the potential to be something terrible. If a drug of this type ever got into the wrong hands, it could be used maliciously. Imagine someone, someone evil and powerful, was drugging people unknowingly and then brainwashing them for someone else’s own gain.

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