46 A Programmer’s Guide to the Mind
Unlike others, this is the area of thought in which he naturally excels. His
emotional sensitivity is inborn. For the rest of us, it is acquired.
The Mercy Internal World
Let us move on from automatic Mercy thought, located in the back of the
cortex, to the internal world of Mercy strategy. Any experience which the
mind encounters will automatically enter the storage shed of Mercy
thought—that is why this part of the mind is called automatic, because it
fills and organizes itself automatically. In contrast, it appears that an
experience will only enter the internal world of Mercy strategy if I identify
with that situation. Whenever I act as if some experience is me, then I
suggest that this brings it into the front of Mercy thought. For example, I
may become infatuated with some person, I may watch a movie and
identify with one of the characters on the screen, I may get personally
excited about some basketball star or baseball team, or I may enter into the
singing in a church or an auditorium. Whatever the situation, whenever
„me‟ gets involved, then experiences are being allowed into the internal
world of Mercy strategy.A
I suggest that Mercy identification can occur either voluntarily or
involuntarily, depending upon the emotional strength of an incoming
experience. We could compare the inner world of Mercy thought to a
reservoir of water with the height of the water corresponding to the
emotional intensity of each memory. As long as the waters of incoming
experience remain below the level of the internal reservoir, it is possible to
open and to close the gate into the internal Mercy world and to choose
what comes in and what stays out. However, if the water of incoming
emotion ever rises above the level of the internal reservoir, then no matter
how one turns the mental „tap‟ of identification, the experience will come
in.
For example, suppose that I really like having dogs around and that I
enjoy petting them. If a puppy comes up to me with a wagging tail, I will
probably decide to open the mental tap of Mercy identification and allow
this pleasant experience into my internal world. On the other hand, if the
dog growls at me, I may
decide to shut the door to my
inner Mercy room and find
something more enjoyable to
dwell upon. Now suppose
that some canine beast takes
a dislike to me and bites me
on the hand. As long as the
A We will look at the relationship between „me‟ and Mercy identification
later on.