We usually don’t think about memory in the context of it being something we shape. Either we have a good memory or we don’t, or so we think. However, it is not really a questions of will we remember things but more one of which things will we remember?
For example, if your time is spent binging on Seinfeld reruns, you may find yourself continually relating new experiences in your life to the antics of Kramer or George. However, if you instead spend more time meditating on the scriptures, you are more likely to connect your experiences to God’s wisdom. This is the reason that Plato was emphatic about supervising the poems and music heard by young people. As one author wrote, Plato “knew that their minds, their affections, and their capacities for belief would be formed by whatever powerful stories took root in their memories.”
This is why our lives can be enriched by taking practical steps to responsibly handle how our memories are formed, what we experience, and how we experience it. Are your memories being shaped with richness and depth or are they cluttered with pithy Facebook posts? Our minds and our hearts are key to whether or not we live our lives purposefully. I urge you to consider today what you allow into your thinking that constructs your memories.