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Ron C. de Weijze's picture

In support of personal memory

The brain is the highest level 'functional structure' imaginable that nature has accomplished in the universe as we know it. We should cherish it for life, and the way to do that, I presume, is by keeping record of all content that it copes with, assesses as 'true', and needs to pass on to others, even next generations. Now, this may sound a bit overestimating ourselves, but I believe that as we have found out how to enhance writing inventing the typewriter, enhance counting inventing the calculator, enhance computing... in a similar way we are finding or have found out how to enhance learning and thinking. And I am not referring to old metaphors as the steam-engine (explaining drives and needs), the telephone-centre (explaining cables and wires of the brain) or even the blackboard/screen and chalk/typing-pad of the computer. I do mean our current capability to trace and dump any serendipity or lateral (brain) activity that spontaneous action and intuitive improvisation creates, as roots and branches of trees that people develop in dialogues, exchanges and interactions. If anything assesses their unique (shared) being, it is that network of trees and of constantly renewed recollections. Memory is all-important. Even cancer-research is targeting the memory of cells to exploit the 'memorized' knowledge of their own health! In a similar way, I am convinced and I have turned into my project, people, particularly students and learners of all kinds, are to be supported in their recollections of 'good times' when they were able to cope with particular things, in context. Times change and so do people, including their coping strategies. However, times may return in the same or even greater intensities, which may trigger the need to know again, to re-learn, what that best way of coping was. Then, recollection needs to be instant, total and top quality. We do have counselors for that, but I believe it is like with predicting the weather: today is the best predictor for tomorrow. People's own memories are the best instances for recollection to cope with returning situations. Systematic support is needed to counter the second law of thermodynamics, that makes memories disappear into oblivion. That is where schooling comes into play, revitalizing those insights and coping mechanisms. Having a fire-drill every half year so to speak. These instances of memory need to be 'dumped' into personal knowledgebases, assorted into personalized categories, where they are interrelated for better sustenance, for better understanding and for prediction and alertness. Each of these categories is one more property of personal life, and each of these instances of memory, when reused in different categories, binds the roots, branches, trees, networks into one being, one person, unforgettable, at least for him/herself but in the long run for us too.

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