Ancient memory is more alive than ever
For centuries as far back as before written word, memory techniques have been part of human societies around the world. Oral cultures spread knowledge and wisdom through elaborate rituals and stories, which require substantial memorization.
The Ancient Greeks and Romans practiced memory techniques and they were quite advanced. Let’s consider for example, Cicero, the great Roman orator who applied Memory Palace techniques to deliver his famous, comprehensive speeches from memory. He was also very dramatic and entertaining in his delivery of speeches, which made deeper, more lasting impressions on large audiences.
In that time, people used to systematically invest in their memories by furnishing their minds with mnemonic techniques. Nowadays, this is no longer the norm. Unfortunately, memory skills are generally not systematically taught in school curricula, and technologies such as the Internet and smartphones have replaced the need to use our minds in the same way. As a result, in many ways our minds have become lazier and less disciplined than that of our ancestors, and people are more dependent on technology to do some of the most basic things. On top of that, the average attention span is also shrinking year to year.
My family once lived in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world, and where nearly 40% of the population was illiterate at that time. Despite the broad lack of formal education throughout the country, something remarkable to me was how many Malawians possessed exceptional oral memories and strong cultural values. Much of this was related to the unique learning culture in Malawian society. The Chewa people group in Malawi have a secret society called the Gule Wamkulu, which involves elaborate ritual dances, which pass along history, values, and culture from generation to generation. I had the privilege of attending some of these dances, and it was truly unforgettable.
Now, compare that sort of cultural learning to that of the typical U.S. student or young adult, who might read about United States history or civics in a classroom or through a textbook or online text. Memorizing the Bill of Rights does not have the same lasting effect as participating in a Gule Wamkulu dance. I am not suggesting we teach civics through cult dance rituals in US schools, but most certainly there are some lessons to be learned about learning from other cultures and other epochs.
I have personally invested countless hours into the study of learning and memory techniques for practical purposes and it has been worth the investment many times over. The breadth of literature on memory techniques is rather extensive. Knowing where to jump in can be intimidating, but the important thing is to dive in, start small, and then expand. If you are like me, you will find a new and interesting world in learning practical memory techniques, and the investment will snowball into something that is much bigger than the sum of the parts.
One major ingredient that the ancient Greeks and Romans as well as the Malawians use extensively in their approaches to teaching and learning was the more vivid way in which the message was conveyed or experienced. The knowledge was remembered, activated, and communicated using vivid imagery, multi-sensory activity, and physicality. There are more of the brain’s neurons being activated when the original associations are made than just reading something in a boring textbook.
