Qualities of Memory
It is often seen that some people have a good memory and others,
bad. We meet a lot of people in our daily routine that they are complaining,
“My memory is bad. I forget things very quickly.” Usually, it happens when we
try hard to remember something; but when we do not make an effort, we remember
things easily. Why is this so? The main reason for this is interest. When we
are interested in a subject, we remember every word of it, but on the other hand,
lack of interest in a subject prevents us from remembering much. Therefore, the
first most important factor and reason for retention is interest. Interest
leads to other factors which result in a good and a sharp memory.
If we have interest in a subject, then it is easier to deliberate
on it. We can analyze it from different angles and can observe and understand
it. Only then we can develop faith and confidence and follow a system.
Therefore, interest is a leading factor which plays an important role in the
field of memory.
In one of my workshop, I asked the students interested in cricket,
when Sunil Gavaskar made his last century? Who the bowler was, when he
completed his century, and how many runs he made to complete his century?
One of the boys stood up and answered all my questions, and gave
additional information on who the commentator was and what his comments were.
He was enthusiastic in passing on his knowledge about cricket. But, when I
asked him what he has studied in this class yesterday, he went blank. This
happened because he was not interested in what was being taught in class. But
since he was interested in cricket, he remembered the century made by Sunil
Gavaskar a few years ago.
Thus, it can be clearly seen that when we are interested in a
particular subject or thing, the retention is longer than in that of the
subject in which we are not interested.
Another fact to be noted is that if the student can remember the
runs made by Sunil Gavaskar, he is also capable of remembering his lesson. There
is nothing wrong with the memory; it is only the lack of interest in that
subject.
Now the question arises about how interest can be developed? The
easy way to develop interest is to take up the subject in which one is not
interested, for example, mathematics. Suppose you are a student of mathematics
and you do not like the subject, but you cannot avoid it. The main aim to
create interest. First of all, you should take up the solved examples and try
to understand them. Solve the easy sums and then proceed to the difficult ones.
Gradually, you will see that you have developed an interest in
mathematics. Therefore, it is essential that to remember a particular subject,
the development of interest is important. If the interest is there, the other
factors will follow simultaneously.
Concentration:
The best way to make progress in any field is to concentrate on
that particular field. Full concentration while doing a job always brings
success. But if the work is being done without concentration and without
interest, then the efforts are not satisfactory, and success is far
behind.
It is seen that players who make an effort and concentrate while
practicing prove to be good players.
Similarly, there are some students who are completely focused while
doing their work. They put in their ideas and thoughts in a marvelous way of
which even they are not aware of. This happens due to the concentration with
which they are writing.
An artist adds new colors to his canvas. He creates a new picture
on the on the canvas. His thoughts are visible in color on the board .he
concentrates whole heartedly while using his brush. Behind the successful
artist is his concentration on his work.
As I have mentioned before, this book is for the students, and
deals with how they can overcome their difficulties in remembering their
lesson. But firstly they should know how to develop the art of concentration
within themselves.
Let us discuss the problem which every student faces. He thoroughly
reads and learns the whole chapter, but is totally bland when asked questions
on that chapter. The reason for this situation, and the problem which every
student faces, is that when we reads something, two process are working within
us:
·
The reading
process
·
The thinking
process
We are reading with our eyes and also thinking in our mind. When
these two process do not work in unison, then there is a break in our
concentration and our mind starts jumping to other subjects. We continue with
our reading, but no impression is left on our mind. Our eyes are moving but our
mind is somewhere else. Other thoughts are occupying the mind.
Therefore, after reading, when we try to recall, we are incapable
of doing it. This is because our eyes and mind are not moving in a coordinated
manner. We fell that we have read everything actually we have read nothing.
Other thoughts keep occupying the mind. For example, if the students have seen
a movie, the next day in class they find it difficult to concentrate as they
keep thinking about the movie. Thus, at the end of the class, they are
absolutely blank as they don’t remember anything being taught.
We also see in our daily life that sometime when we are walking and
an old friend of our passes by, we don’t notice him he stops and calls out
“what’s the matter? Don’t you remember me?” then we become aware of person.
It also happens that sometimes our mind is working somewhere else,
therefore a number of times we do not hear to see what or who is passing by us.
That is why some people says “our eyes are blind, where our mind is somewhere
else.
Likewise, sometimes when you study for five to six hours and
complete two subjects or more, you discover that you do not remember much of
what you studied during that time.
Therefore, to overcome this obstacle, the reading and thinking
process ought to move in unison. The best way to improve memory is through
concentration, interest and observation.
Observation:
Whenever we go to a party, we meet and observe other people. This
habit of observing others is very common among females. The notice what the
other woman and wearing, their hairstyles and jewelers they wear, and
everything else from head to toe. One such incident happened when a friend went
to her relative’s marriage, where she met someone wearing a beautiful necklace.
She appreciated the ornament and inquired about its weight and the name of the
jeweler. She was fascinated with the piece.
After ten years, both of them met again on another occasion, and
the lady was wearing the same necklace. The necklace was immediately recognized
by the friend. She remembered the weight, name of the jeweler and the last time
when she saw the lady wearing it.
By this example, I want to show you how observation works in memory
retention. Anything which is observed carefully is retained in our memory.
Likewise, a student can observe his lesson and important notes. The
subject which is observed carefully leaves a deep impression on our memory and
remains there for a long time. In other words, the retention is longer.
Hence the question, how to observe? How can a student use this
method in his daily life?
