I’m not sure what memory has to do with culture other than what we choose to remember and what memories we choose to keep says a lot about who we are. Just like the clothes we wear or the mindsets we keep, culture has is complex and multifaceted.

Lately, I was thinking about how we learn. Some of us learn through repetition. Others can read something once and remember what they read forever.

Growing up I was in a part of a group called Missionettes. It was like religious girl scouts. A girls program sponsored by the Assemblies of God church.

We memorized Bible scripture, mission statements and tenants. I remember when one of the steps which was based on four women of the Bible (Susanna, Tabitha, Anna and Ruth) required me to memorize the entire chapter of 1st Corinthians 13.

I learned during my two years in that program that I took to memorization visually. I would write out every verse of that chapter and repeat it outloud erasing words at different intervals. Until I was looking at a paper with nothing but dashes where words use to be. Eventually,  I could recite the entire chapter which consisted of 13 verses without the paper because I could visualize it in my head.

I’m not sure what I learned about love the basis of 1Corinthians 13 but I did learn a lot about the process of learning. While I couldn’t recite the chapter now, whenever mentions words from it without referencing the orign, I always recognize it.

Whether you have a photographic memory or remember through repetition, what does the culture of memory and learning mean to you?

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