In recalling and narrating about how we met, I was taken aback as someone explained it. I knew it was not the way we met. Someone else in writing many years later an account of an earlier incident disappointed me for I knew it was not so as I stood witness to it too as I was there too. I guess age catches up and we lose the memory of the past as it took place exactly. I wonder how many stories that are going on are authentic now, without important components dropped, without treachery in manipulating these stories for their own advantage, without dilution, or without adding on to impress and garner viewers and listeners, etc. This applies in the spiritual context too. We need to tread carefully sieving through all the information that is flooded all around us. With social media and the tools on our hands it is even more important that we authenticate the news first before sharing blindly.
Norman Rockwell's artistic piece “The Gossips” is a classic representation of how a message ends totally change after it passes through word of mouth to many.
 |
| Courtesy of The New York Times |
Let's face it the memory fails us eventually. The best bet would be to document instantly in writing, less we forget the details later. That is how I took notes of all my travels in India and later locally. So today you get to read about my travels and I get to go back in time whenever I read them for myself.
David Christian in his piece for https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/big-history-project/agriculture-civilization/first-cities-appear/a/recordkeeping-and-history writes the following,
"All living things carry “memories” of the past. Animals need to be able to keep track of the seasons so they know when to hibernate, when to hunt, and when to have children. Many rodents and birds store nuts and other food in special hiding places, and they need to remember where they stashed them so they can find them months later. Wolves leave their marks on the perimeters of their turf, creating a sort of record that says to other wolf packs..... "Keep out!” Even plants seem to record the passing of time. If you slice through a tree, particularly in a region with lots of seasonal changes, you’ll see “growth rings.” Every year a new layer grows just under the bark.... each ring represents one year of growth. Wet seasons typically produce thicker rings than dry seasons, so dendrochronologists — the scientists who study growth rings — can frequently figure out the exact year in which each layer was formed. They can also see evidence of climatic events such as droughts or forest fires."
An important fact is brought to our attention that places the human species above all other by David Christian.
"But “tracking the past” isn’t the same as having a “memory” of the past. A tree ring might record the date of a major fire, but the tree wouldn’t respond if I asked, “Do you remember the great fire of 1730?” Only humans can share their knowledge of the past because only humans have a communication system powerful enough to share what they know and learn."
Though this is known to be true and standing for now, we have read of Agathiyar tutored on the medicinal properties of herbs and plants by them in the past.
"Although many species note the passing of time, only our own species, Homo sapiens, is capable of sharing accounts, or memories, of past events and turning these into stories or “histories.” As humans discovered ever more precise ways of keeping track of time, so we have also developed more accurate ways of keeping records and recording history."
"All modern foraging societies tell stories about the past, many focused on ancestors, but also on the creation of what’s around us. Indeed, most humans tell “origin stories,” and origin stories count as history because they share ideas about the world."
So how did our ancients go about documenting events? Stories were told relying on memory, carried through oral tradition, carved into rocks, and painted in caves. We learn that the Siddhas etched into dried palm leaves stories of individuals, nations and events.
"Today, though, we expect proper history writing to be based not on the memory of the historian, but on evidence, and mostly on written evidence."
"As societies became more interconnected and people began to compare different accounts of the past, they became more concerned with a crucial question: Which version is truest?"
"Today, all professional historians understand that their first task is to get the history right. That means checking all the details against hard evidence, and preferably against written documents."
For those whose roots are from the Indian subcontinent, we are told of Shruti and Smriti as in https://pediaa.com/what-is-shruti-and-smriti/,
"Shruti is a word in Sanskrit that literally means what is heard. On the other hand, Smriti comprises that part of Vedic literature that is remembered. Text contained in Shruti is what has been revealed by God himself. Thus, it is not open to judgment or evaluation. Sacred text that is called Shruti is unquestionable and canonical in nature. Whereas Shruti are considered authorless and eternal in nature, Smriti are the creations of ancient seers and sages."
So readers pick up that pen and start taking notes of important life-changing events in your lives now and leave them for others to read and learn about you and the times you lived in.
