June 13, 2013
My mother in law is here for a visit and yesterday she took my kids to the park near our house. Last night, she asked me if I remembered, and could recite The Swing, a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson. I am not even sure that I have heard this poem before, much less be able to recite it.
I decided that I would Google the poem when I got home from work tonight. But what I was really thinking about is the lost art of remembering. You see, my mother-in-law has lived the majority of her life in a time way before computers and search engines (the big G) could remember everything for us and produce it in nanoseconds. She and my father-in-law (now deceased) could spend hours and hours and hours talking about all of the things they remember. They didn't need a machine for any of those discussions. My father-in-law in particular could quote, verbatim, books (including the Bible), songs, poems, jokes, conversations, historical facts, important facts, useless facts, etc., etc., etc. My mother-in-law, while not quite as profuse with the ability, also has an uncanny knack for this. And I have never met any two people better at remembering and telling family history and stories.
The point is that all of the information they have shared with me during the time that I have known them was stored in their brains, the original computer. I think my generation (I am a 40-something) and those that have followed behind us lack this capability because technology has numbed our minds and dumbed us down. Don't get me wrong, I am on my devices as much as the next person, and I am not about to give them up, but I just think there is a balance to be struck between the way it used to be and the way it is now, and I think the way it used to be is losing big time.
To further add to my point about the lost art of remembering, I present the conversation I had recently with some friends of mine who are teachers. The discussion revolved around the technology revolution of the past couple of decades and what impact it has had on the approach to teaching and learning for the current school age generation. Although not a teacher myself, I work in the education system and I have 2 school age children. But, you know what I didn't realize? Apparently, kids don't have to memorize things anymore. My teacher friends stated that their students can use whatever resources they want/need to access when taking tests and such because it isn't about them regurgitating things they memorized; instead, it's about if they can apply what they have learned. And, homework is no longer part of the class grade in many schools. Really? Well, I'm all for applying what has been learned, but I think a student should actually learn the material first (like maintain it in their brain). In my opinion, this should at least sometimes include rote practice (cursive, anyone?) and memorization.
The art of remembering can teach us some big lessons. It can teach us to slow down and reflect. It preserves the past in a personal way. It connects us to one another. So, in the spirit of the art of remembering and in honor of my in-laws, I present to you The Swing by Robert Louis Stevenson. Maybe, just maybe, the next time you pass a neighborhood park, you'll remember...
The Swing
Robert Louis Stevenson
How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!
Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside--
Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown--
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!
Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside--
Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown--
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!
