Memories can be precious but are a mystery. In Greek mythology, the Titan goddess of
memory is Mnemosyne, daughter of Gaia
and Uranus. She is also Mother of the
Muses. Amongst other things, she
represented the rote memorization required, before the introduction of writing,
to preserve the stories of history and sagas of myth.
Mnemosyne, Titan Greek Goddess of Memory and Mother of the Muses
Maybe creativity could be looked upon as being “Future
Memory”. At age 84, we’re fortunate still to recall experiences stored away
long ago. My posts in this blog
including the recent Encounters with
Wildlife are evidence of memory.
The Nine Muses of
Greek Mythology
Although there are multiple 21-century gadgets available
that allow us to record, film, communicate or find information on any subject -
- - our eyes are still the best camera. In coordination with brain and mind we
record all the time. Memories then are
records of ‘filmed’ experiences from the past. Vague, or poor recall could be
because the ‘camera was not present’, preventing the filming. No pictures, no printouts, no memories. Or, we don’t wish to re-visit certain events
and experiences from long ago. They’re
then left in the dark room, undeveloped.
Henri van Bentum
writing his blog
Aging, infirmity, amnesia, Alzheimer’s sadly are also
causes of memory loss. We remember, we
forget, we remember, etc. Anything could trigger a memory, image or experience
of the past. A scent, a tune,
photograph, postcard, anything. That’s why we say memories are precious. It’s still a mystery what holds them in the
hinterland, the dark room of our minds. Memories differ from dreams, they come
from real experiences, re-visited and
come to life again.
Henri van Bentum
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