On Forgetfulness

After our Thanksgiving hiatus, The InsideOutcast returned with our 17th episode. How much you forget in just two weeks. It doesn't take a careful listen to expose missing cues. The audio stings come out of nowhere. Both the news and feedback suddenly interrupt conversation. This shows just how much you can forget over a short period.

Recently I injured my knee tripping over uneven pavement. As such, I haven't been performing my usual routines of taijiquan. There was a time I performed each routine daily. As of late I've found the time to perform maybe one or two segments of a full routine. It is not surprising that I am forgetting some of the postures, particularly during the single sword routine. Going from Flying Diagonally to Black Dragon Sways Tail has been a source of trouble. Until recently I found myself turned around.

In the same vein, returning to the office after a vacation or special assignment, one may find that he has forgotten many of the standard operating procedures. Passwords and phone numbers are forgotten. Much of the once familiar routine seems foreign and awkward.

The mind is a complex organ. Over the years, people have equated the brain with the greatest device of the time. An abacus, a pump, a steam engine, a calculator, a computer. The computer is quite an apt description. The mind is much like a hard drive. It stores information. Some of this can be accessed readily. At the forefront of the mind stands the desktop. Here, for quick and easy access, are the most commonly used functions of the mind. However, if you don't use the function often, it may drop off the desktop. You lose the shortcut and have to search for the application. Leave it for a long period, the file may corrupt. So, too, with memories and skills. The key is frequent use. Practice, practice, practice.

A hard drive can only hold so much. The brain, though seemingly able to record an infinite amount of data, stores only a fragment. There is long term memory, that which is stored for later use (or saved to the hard drive) and short term memory, that which can be recalled only a short time after the experience (an unsaved document). The more innocuous and unessential experiences should be discarded lest they take up space needed for more important or useful information. This proves difficult as one may not always be the best judge of what should be dedicated to memory and what should not. Nor are we always capable of making that choice. I know I tend to latch onto the particulars, but not the essence of the thing. By my own admission, sometimes there isn't enough disk space for more important data.

So, if you wish not to dull the blade, then keep it honed with practice. If nothing else, visualize the routine. Mentally work through the steps. Recall to mind passwords, phone numbers, the names of customers and coworkers. Create a list to remind yourself of these things. Keep the functions at hand. You may save yourself trouble later.

Of course, should you know anything about computers you will find many problems with my metaphor. Just the same, you can see where I'm coming from.