by Viswanathan Subramanian
[box]A newspaper article that talks about how cultivating one’s memory is neglected these days and how the virtues of memory are now entrusted to gadgets, prompts Viswanathan Subramanian to look within and explore a valid question – “Have we misplaced the role of memory in our lives?” Read on.[/box]Recently, I read a central page article in a Tamil newspaper on forgotten memory. It went on to highlight the importance of cultivating one’s memory and how this faculty is criminally neglected these days. Digital communication technology, according to the article, has diverted people away from the virtues of memory, and has shifted the responsibility of recording something in our human memory to a whole array of gadgets. Computers, for instance, have freed the brain of the strains of memory. It talked about how evergreen memory, elephantine memory, or memory feats are slowly becoming forgotten culture today. Further, the article expatiated on the merits of memory – how classic Tamil texts, for example, were first committed to memory and then later pondered over, and how utmost scholarship was attained, built on such memory.
When I read this article, I agreed with the writer on certain practical advantages related to the impersonal use of the technique of memory. What I call virtues of memory here, if you can term it as virtue, is the use of memory as a tool for objective knowledge. Such objective knowledge has been responsible for all that we see around us continuously, in terms of material advancement and technological capability. But the problem occurs when these so called virtues of memory spill over to the area of how we relate to the world – I mean inter-personal relationships; it doesn’t take long to realise that it is a disaster. Advantages of memory, can, at best, be termed so, only in the materialistic sense. When I read the very title of the newspaper article, ‘Forgotten Memory,’ I was prompted to highlight whatever I have learnt of the misplacement of memory in our life.
Let’s consider an example. If I extol Shelley for Ozymandias, there are two possibilities. Is it primarily because I committed the poem to my memory in my school days? Or, is it because of my qualitative self-captured beauty of theme and expression in this poem? Shelley’s poem is committed to memory mechanically. But when I appreciate the class and intangibles of the poem, memory becomes subservient to my qualitative perception and therefore clearly, memory is not the master here. The point is that we need to properly perceive the limited role of memory in our life and not allow memory or thought process to dictate our personal relationships. Yes, I need memory to go to office by road or do an office job or study a book or subject, but not for how I move with others.
Memory flows out of the human physiological make-up. The human brain machinery builds mechanically on what it experiences as happenings in the world around us. It is a known fact that there are scientific in-roads that have been made into the mechanics of brain. Techniques have been and continue to be established on nurturing the right methods to sharpen memory skills. Memory is lauded, extraordinary memory eulogised. There are parades of memory performance in contests, where the best is respected and applauded.
Coming to think of it, typical school curriculum these days pays a premium on memory, rather than understanding. Such ruthless pursuit of memory forces young brains into despondency. Young guys go after digital gadgetry to relieve brains of the monotony of memory cultivation. Reciting fundamental mathematical tables (up to ‘16’ at least) is too painful a demand on students today.
It’s quite obvious that memory is too much with us today. The human brain continues to be all-too-mechanical and this has affected human mind so much that we think that all human relationships are mechanical and formulated. Such a mechanised mind is the starting point of all the conflicts and confusions prevailing around us.
This brings up the all-important question: How does memory affect human relationships? Is love a function of memory?
As the great thinker Jiddu Krishnamurthy put it, love is not memory. Memory – the more impersonal it is, the better. But brains mechanically churn out memories, be it impersonal or personal. Memory destroys human relationships. Pride, prejudices are all memories that restrain smooth flow of relationships. Even when one reads all this about memory, our brain again makes an intellectual concept of whatever is told or written and creates a memory-based formula. After all, your memory is not understanding, it is not intelligence. Love or intelligence falls into place, only when memory is shown its place. Love is not the opposite of hatred, as memory in an inter-personal relationship goes into judgement mode and clogs ever-expanding love.
Love and relationships – can they be a function of the mechanical brain? The answer is no. Let thoughts be understood. Thought, by its very nature, divides; it divides by creating ‘me’ and ‘you.’ They do have their rightful place in impersonal matters like learning how to drive a car, scientific pursuits etc. By our perception of nature of memory, thought, and giving its rightful place, we are thus out of the constraining limitation of memory. We have all-embracing, expanding awareness – a mind without measure. But do remember: DO NOT CREATE A TECHNIQUE of what is conveyed here. What is needed is the perception of the truth. Or else, you are into another vicious circle!
Let us possibly continue our exploration with the concise ULLADU NARPADU (Forty Verses on Reality) by Bhagawan Ramana Maharishi, with specific reference to Memory. – to be continued in the next issue.
Viswanathan Subramanian is a retired banker who is enjoying retirement life pursuing his interests. He loves poring over business newspapers and journals and making notes. Spirituality also interests him, and so a good number of Sri Ramana Maharishi’s and Jiddu Krishnamurthy’s books find space in his bookshelf. He is extremely passionate about movies and music too. You are sure to find some good old English movie DVDs and an enormous collection of old mp3 Hindi and Tamil songs at his place!
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