A long time reader of Wisdom and Life stopped into the library a few weeks ago to pick up a couple of books she had on hold.  Lisa R. looked at one of the books and said she THINKS she read it previously.  We then began a discussion about memory and how it works.  Lisa brought up Einstein and said there is a story that he never remembered his phone number because he didn’t care to.  I mentioned to her that if someone asked me about a book I read twenty plus years ago, I can tell you what it was about and why it resonated with me.

Image from:
Wikipedia

Because you care, she said.  It’s why unless someone is motivated by what they are learning, unless they care about the subject matter, it won’t be retained, she said.

What I took away from that conversation for parents and children as well is what I’ve said from day one in my Parental Pressure category at Wisdom and Life:
Let your children go.
Let them decide the course of their lives.

If you push them to do something they are not ready to do they will surely fail because their heart isn’t in it.  The memory won’t care to retain any knowledge.  If someone isn’t motivated, they surely won’t learn.

I never really considered that.  I never thought about memory working if you care about what you’re doing.  Reading has always been a HUGE part of my life.  It stands to reason that I’d recall books I read years ago.  Lisa struck a chord with me.  It’s not the first time she has inspired me to write a column as can be seen from the search query below:
Lisa R/Wisdom and Life  The first seven columns:
Routines to Life is a Process are inspired by Lisa.

I just find it fascinating that it sometimes takes someone else to point out something that we don’t or can’t see in our own lives.  You know, like that saying:
You can’t see the forest for the trees.

It makes perfect sense now that I consider it, that memory only works for things we WANT to recall.

Do you have examples of this in your own life?  Would love to hear from you if you do. Leave your comments below.

Be Happy!  Be Well!  Be Positive!
Blessings to you.
—
Chris

Once you realize that life is eternal,
That our souls our eternal,
That we return to light and physical over and over;

We then lose all our distress
We then lose all our fear of dying.  For there truly is no end.