The Ghost of Forgetful Past

I relish taking part in family gatherings.  It's especially enjoyable now because I am now a member of two extended families, so to speak.  Don't get caught up with semantics, I only mean that I'm a part of my family and a part of my wife's family as well.   Since we live a fair distance from extended family, our gatherings are relatively infrequent.

As I detailed in my first post on this blog, the oral tradition is still in existence, and it is very much alive in our families.  In the midst of a family gathering,  we will invariably encounter a copious amount of reminiscing.  Family members all become storytellers in their own rite at least once a year,  springing from a love of sharing experiences already past.  When this happens, you can always count on the following occurrences between the two parties, that is, the teller, and the listener(s).

1.) The teller will say something that the listener doesn't remember, even if that listener was a part of the story.
2.) A listener will almost always add something to the story or dispute the account being given.
3.) If a teller agrees or consents to an argument presented against the story, the teller thus alters their perspective on the story told.

Our family gatherings, in effect, can spawn collaborative feedback which will subsequently enrich the existing oral tradition.   Although this assessment may appear to be scientific in nature, it has merit when you consider the intent of this blog.  Since my first post on January 11, 2010, I have been afforded several opportunities for introspection and self-analysis, especially when I learned yesterday that my own stories may be unique to me and me alone.   In a conversation with my mother, I was told that my post about unlocking a box of cash at the rental store was something that not only did she not remember, but my brother, sister, and father didn't remember either.   I then told her that I only remembered the story because I was blogging about how I dislike renting movies at Blockbuster.  It occurred to me that had I not been writing about movies, I may have never recalled my story.   You might be saying, "Well, Matthew, I really couldn't care less about your failure to unlock a box of cash 20 years ago!" I don't blame you.  However,  blogging teaches the lesson that your story telling, be it the story you tell at a family gathering or online is a catalyst for recalling life experiences, regardless of their substance.  I acknowledge that this is a somewhat comical revelation for an individual such as myself who engaged in active naysaying on the topic of blogging.  Indeed, "The persecutor of the pen is now holding the pen."  (Yes, I just made that saying up.)

Take another look at the oral tradition within the context of one generation: you will discover that the oral tradition is unique to each generation.  The composition of our family today will be different in the future.  Consequently, the stories will be different as well.  What happens to the stories that are around today?  Will we rely on archival knowledge to pass on the really good stories?  Consider the details of your personal history as sand in an hourglass.  If each detail was a grain of sand, you would experience a loss in detail over time.    If you understand this point, you understand why blogging is a valid approach to counter the eventual fuzziness of the human brain.   Still under the impression that different perspectives aren't important?  Remember, even the Bible has four gospel accounts detailing the life and ministry of Christ.

I still consider myself to be in the infantile stages of building this blog.  Therefore, I desire a framework of concepts to be promulgated in the opening posts that corroborate why I am writing.  Additionally, this serves as a springboard concept to perpetuate further lessons on preserving my history.  I can only hope that this momentum increases from here.