Memory and Time

Both the words mean the same thing. Both words signify ‘change’ – as a measurement of environment. We perceive change, if the external or the internal environment changes. The rapidity of change, signifies our relationship with Time. Let’s examine how change is perceived:

Time is perceived if external things keep changing – people change, or place changes, or climate changes or the object changes. The rate of external change generates ‘Time’. We compare the situation of the past to present to future. History, culture and memory are created likewise. In he tropics, changes in seasons happen in rapidity and so thus, the perception of Time. Logically then, if environment does not change much, so does the sense of Time. Physically, we see this happening in the Northern regions of earth, where substantial months remain cold and there isn’t much variation in climate observed. Herein, Time appears very slow to progress. 

In the above example of the tropics, although change in climate (and weather) happens quite frequently, it is repetitive (or cyclic). Thus, if we expand our gaze to centuries, the cyclic phenomenon does not constitute any change at all! Effectively, Time becomes repetitive and it looses its ‘forward’ or directional characteristics. In India, history is seen as being cyclic and not linear. The idea of change or Time is notional – in that Time appears to change for a brief slice of period, but if we expand our gaze to include centuries, Time seems static/ repetitive or cyclic. Perhaps therefore, is it this realization that makes our Seers define the idea of reincarnation or rebirth or Creation-Dissolution? Perhaps, is this why traditional forms of history in India did not lay much emphasis on linear movement of Time? Inferring still further, in a cyclic nature of Time, collective consciousness or collective Memory becomes static/ stable/ constant/ unchanging. 

Now let’s look at the inner world of thoughts, irrespective of what happens in the external environment. Thought as related with ‘age’. Kids sense of Time is notional since they are present in the ‘moment’. Their remembrance of people, places, events, objects is in the process of building and therefore, they are ‘free’ from the weight of Time. As we age, we remember things based on preferences, survival, inclinations, desires and so on. With remembrance, comes memory, culture and our identity. The change in our identity as we grow generates Time. As we grow old, we do not care much about memory again. The compulsion to respond to the past-present-future does not exist and therefore, old aged people again tend to become ‘freer’ in spirit and make good friends with young kids. In one sentence, we can see that Memory is a ‘sequence’ of events we choose to relate and record. The changes in sequences generates Time. 

Time and speed of thought are related. We perceive time in a certain range of speed of thought. Slower the speed of thought – slower is the perception of Time. This is possible, if we choose not to identify with thoughts. Art helps us do that. By dissolving our identification with thought, we move beyond thought and therefore dissolve Time and Memory. Therefore, we can say here, that Thought, Ego, Time, Memory are interrelated. By dissolving thought, we dissolve all other constructs of the mind. What we realize is our social constructs. 

Sometimes, the rate of change of thoughts becomes too much to record or digest or generate any long lasting memory. In such circumstances again, there is no memory and there is no Time to refer to. However, this causes disillusionment and we can’t make sense of our world around us. I think, this is what happens in digitally intensive environment of rapid change. Too much rapid change results in breakdown of memory and breakdown of Time to digest and record facts and respond. Is that what is happening nowadays?