Memory

Newer computers, with large amounts of “Random Access Memory,” work faster than older units with less RAM. For us, it also seems that younger people can access memory more quickly than older persons. But we are not machines, and as we grow older, we continually add to the sum of memories we have of thoughts and experiences as well as those contained in our very muscles. As the years pass, we notice, perhaps with a bit of annoyance, that some particular memories take more time to recall than they did formerly. But we might benefit by reflecting with gratitude on memory as a great and powerful gift that serves us very well.

While scientists have learned much about the physical operation of memory, our knowledge about it is not nearly as important as is our experience with memory. For every incident of not being able to consciously recall a piece of information when we wanted to, we have many experiences of that very information coming to mind after we stopped looking for it. We expect a computer to give us exact data when we press the right keys. One of the interesting things about us is the kind of pleasure and wonderment we experience when information we could not obtain “on demand” suddenly appears in our minds when we have mentally turned aside. We are better off having human memory rather than bytes stored on a hard drive.

Memory is physical as well as mental. Muscles become accustomed to our way of walking, our posture, and gestures. We can regularly exercise some muscles so that we stand up straight, so that we can tie a knot behind our backs, or get up at night and write a brief note without turning on a light. Our physical senses retain particular memories, as when, for example, we became sick from eating or drinking something, and for a long time afterwards, the slightest scent of that food or taste of that beverage makes our stomachs turn queasy. Memory is protective of our well-being in many ways.

Remembering is spiritual as well as mental and...