OK – I was looking deeper into accelerated learning and thinking about memory. Of course I get carried away thinking about the very basics of it. The title is certainly not one I would expect anyone else to make, it seems we are always focused on the mind, but what gives the mind its extraordinary power in the first place?
I am more fascinated in how it can take a view of the universe and change it – but that is another story…
You are what you remember?
Is that true? When you look at yourself, your life, your identity in the world, then the point of reference that you use is essentially your memories?
Imagine you didn’t remember anything? What would life be like? What would you be capable of doing? How would it change your relationship to the world, to the ones you love, to the things that you like to do?
You see memory is a massive part of who you are.
So how does it work? You remember what you are reading here right? You use your memory of language that took you many years to acquire to read the words that are in front of you. You use your memory of shapes to decipher the light that enters your eye, creating the image of the letters and words that fall onto your retina. You use your knowledge built up over the years to decide and think about the information that is coming into your senses. Isn’t it a wonderful process?
This information is coming at you every moment you are awake – some believe when you sleep too. You are immersed in noise, light and other senses that you feel. The five senses, hearing, seeing, smell, taste and touch. Your window to the reality of the environment you live in. Just think how much information is being sensed by you in the day, most of which you ignore.
Think as you are reading this, there are noises around you. You may not have been conscious of them until you intentionally listened. Think of how many noises there are at the time you are reading this – all being processed by the sound waves hitting your ears.
Are there any smells that you have become conscious of now? Is there anything that you didn’t notice before? Can you taste something? Maybe you are not eating right now but you may be conscious of a taste in your mouth.
What about touch? This is a very complicated sense made up of many different detectors within the body. Is it hot? Or do you feel cold? Are your clothes comfortable? How do your muscles feel? Are you comfortable? This might cause you to reposition your seat – to make you feel more comfortable. You see the more you are conscious of the more you react.
All this information is bombarding your brain, just in the moment of reading this. Through five senses we experience the world around us. It is all that we know – Is it?
Some however say there are more than five senses. Maybe you have a sixth sense? Or even more? You may be aware of other sensations. Are you sure that you are reading this alone for example? Could there be something looking over your shoulder looking at what you are doing? Are you truly alone?
Sorry – that probably takes it a little too far but you may be aware of the sensory information created by your emotions too – like fear. Or you may have images or sensations that appear to you that you were not thinking about? Are you sure that these images, memories or feelings came from you? What is imagination?
All this information surrounds you constantly and you are only really aware of a small portion of it at any time. All creating a memory, of a moment, the moment you are reading this article.
Where will it go? Will you remember this moment tomorrow?
How does it all work, isn’t it fantastic?
These memories become part of you, your experience of your life – Aren’t you amazing?