>Heat and Light
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One of the easiest things to do is change your mind due to being intellectually enlightened. But changing behavior from your heart, your core, that is very hard to do by cool intellectual thought. Of course eventually if you change your mind about something you might find yourself changing your attitudes or behaviors down the road, incrementally. And it’s likely they will be long lasting as a result. But a sudden transformation? Not as likely.
Heat on the other hand will cause changes faster than you can say ‘fire truck’. That is why AA and other addiction programs talk about a person having to hit rock bottom before they will change. They have to feel the heat of their life falling down all around them. Maybe they lose everything, are at the end of their rope. That sort of heat leads to change. You see it often in religious conversions as well as behavior changes.
The problem with heat related changes is they can often be short-lived. The emotion, the danger, the fear all lead to a promise to change, and will to change, but once the heat has passed, it takes a cool light to continue to lead the way, to make a change permanent. That is why threats of hell or damnation or some other fear based idea aren’t good. They make people feel heat, but they don’t help them see the light.
So, whether with yourself, family, friends or your children always be ready to supply the light when the heat has died down, which it eventually will.
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily
Quote by Caroline Schoeder, no information available. If you find any, forward it to me please, thank you.