The brain is such a fascinating thing and we simple little humans know very little about it! Consciousness, the "mind", the process by which in formation is processed, how memories are stored, etc...it is a tiny universe unto itself!

I do love the idea of plasticity though. Nothing is necessarily fixed in the brain unless you cause it to be so. Exposure, meditation, new intellectual pursuits, new relationships, adventures, etc - all of these expand the amount of information the brain has to process right? With an open and always activated mind, the neurons can't help but forge new ties, new ways of interpreting information and, in turn, new ways to do old tasks, and new ways to view old paradigms! Change, it seems is the only constant :)