The human brain is very complex, however, in
terms of decision making and the exercise of agency, it can be thought of as
consisting of two parts; a conscious, deliberate, unselfish part and a selfish,
self-preserving part. This presentation will discuss the human brain in context
of these two parts as they relate to Agency, or as Lehi stated "both things
to act and things to be acted upon" (2 Nephi 2:14).
Is it possible that this ability of choice to resist temptation represents a
limited resource in the body? In other words, if we were constantly faced with
opposition to choose the right could we deplete this resource and then give in
to our natural tendencies more easily? Many scientific experiments have
supported the conclusion that refraining from unwanted behavior by using the
self-control centers of the brain comes at a price. When a person engages in a
single act of resisting temptation, their ability to resist in subsequent
attempts of self-control is enhanced.
What does this mean for us? It would appear that we have two choices if
we are to overcome temptation and exercise our agency fully:
1). Avoid temptation altogether.
2). Strengthen our centers to resist temptation.
Brother Hunt will address both avoidance and strength. The self-control
centers of the brain are strengthened by voluntary acts of will-power, not by
involuntary acts of resisting temptation. What is the difference? Voluntary
acts of self-control include any unselfish activity that we consciously do.
Brother Hunt suggests that unselfish behavior is synonymous with self-control.
How we can develop a more unselfish brain to help us exercise our full agency
will be a major focus of this presentation.
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