Talk:Metaprogramming 101

This page contains some very simple exercises that may be useful to learn to Metaprogram. That is, to modify you own personality and instincts in accordance with your will.

Messing with your personal operating system can be dangerous, so it's very sensible to start small. The exercises in this article are intended to be 99% safe. If they go wrong then the results should be nothing, rather than the potential psychosis possible with more advanced experiemnts.

That is not to say that the most simple versions of these techniques have helped me to a huge extent in my short life.

Changing your swear word
Everybody has a word, phrase or noise which they make under certain conditions. Surprise, sudden pain, annoyance etc. It's possible to train yourself to use a different one. Unless you're an attention junkie, pick something reasonable, but out of your (current) character. Make sure it's a word you never use. Picking something from media is one option: Drok! Smeg! Frak! Jenkies! etc. Another option to to pick something retro which you think might suit your style; "Dagnabbit", "Sufferin' Sukkertash" (assuming you consider grisled 1870's prospectors a cool thing to talk like.

Start using the phrase, on purpose. It's easier to start when nobodies looking. When you stub your toe in your own room, start by correcting yourself. ie. "Fuck... I mean, Dagnabbit!". After a while it will become a reflex response and you'll have successfully modified an unimportant part of yourself.

It can be interesting to condition in something totally inappropriate and arbitary. For example you could start saying double-you as your swear word, and when people ask, explain that you do it as an anti-tribute to someone with the initial "W". This assumes you dislike someone with the middle initial W which at the time of writing many people seem to.

Programming and Un-Programming the self
Doing this exercise allows one to step outside of thier own reality and observe themselves consciously. Use this exercise over time to short-circut habit patterns and draw upon the reserves of your un programmed fully conscious self.

The process is very simple. Choose an action or activity that is inconsequential has no meaning. Repeat daily until a habit is formed, and then stop. This activity is most effective when it has no discernable benefit or drawback. Remain aware of ones self and ones reactions during this process until the activity becomes a habit. Then stop doing the activity. Notice how thoughts of the activity seem to arise in the context of where/when you used to do the activity after you have stopped.

An example from my own life is this; I pulled a mug out from my kitchen cupboard, and set it underneath my kitchen table. Once each day, when I noticed the cup, I would replace it with another, wash the cup that had been underneath and put it away. When I stopped, I would be acutely aware of the space underneath the kitchen table where the cup had been, and thoughts of tables, spaces under tables, and cups were very active in my mind for a while thereafter.

Due to the nature of the activity (which makes no sense to the conscious mind and has no habits related to it), the process of remaining fully conscious of the event is very easy. Once this awareness is lost (the activity becomes routine), one may stop the process. For some time thereafter, thoughts and memories of the activity may arise in the conscious mind. Since the activity had no meaning, it is easy to stop doing it, unlike some 'bad habits', which have a definite pay-off of some kind. This facilitates a very easy and quick method to observe the self before, during, and after habits.

After this, one will have consciously lived the creation and discreation of at least one habit pattern. Doing several iterations of this allows one to begin to make a habit of changing habits. This self-knowledge and awareness may be expanded into ones daily routine. Doing this results in clarity of what is really happening, along with solid memories and direct personal expereince of the entire process. This increased ability allows one to make changes much more easily.