MEMORY, HOW TO DEVELOP, TRAIN AND USE IT/PART 20
CHAPTER XX.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS.
In
this chapter we shall call your attention to certain of the general principles
already mentioned in the preceding chapters, for the purpose of further
impressing them upon your mind, and in order that you may be able to think of
and to consider them independent of the details of the special phases of
memory. This chapter may be considered in the nature of a general review of
certain fundamental principles mentioned in the body of the work.
POINT
I. Give to the thing that you wish to memorize, as great a degree of
concentrated attention as possible.
We
have explained the reason for this advice in many places in the book. The
degree of concentrated attention bestowed upon the object under consideration,
determines the strength, clearness and depth of the impression received and
stored away in the subconsciousness. The character of these stored away
impressions determines the degree of ease in remembrance and recollection.
POINT
II. In considering an object to be memorized, endeavor to obtain the
impressions through as many faculties and senses as possible.
The
reason for this advice should be apparent to you, if you have carefully read
the preceding chapters. An impression received through both sound and sight is
doubly as strong as one received through but one of these channels. You may
remember a name, or word, either by having seen it in writing or print; or else
by reason of having heard it; but if you have both seen and heard it
you have a double impression, and possess two possible ways of reviving the
impression. You are able to remember an orange by reason of having seen it,
smelt it, felt it and tasted it, and having heard its name pronounced. Endeavor
to know a thing from as many sense impressions as possible—use the eye to
assist ear-impressions; and the ear to assist in eye-impressions. See the thing
from as many angles as possible.
POINT
III. Sense impressions may be strengthened by exercising the
particular faculty through which the weak impressions are received.
You
will find that either your eye memory is better than your ear memory, or vice
versa. The remedy lies in exercising the weaker faculty, so as to bring it up
to the standard of the stronger. The chapters of eye and ear training will help
you along these lines. The same rule applies to the several phases of
memory—develop the weak ones, and the strong ones will take care of themselves.
The only way to develop a sense or faculty is to intelligently train, exercise
and use it. Use, exercise and practice will work miracles in this direction.
POINT
IV. Make your first impression strong and firm enough to serve as a
basis for subsequent ones.
Get
into the habit of fixing a clear, strong impression of a thing to be
considered, from the first. Otherwise you are trying to build up a large
structure upon a poor foundation. Each time you revive an impression you deepen
it, but if you have only a dim impression to begin with, the deepened
impressions will not include details omitted in the first one. It is like
taking a good sharp negative of a picture that you intend to enlarge afterward.
The details lacking in the small picture will not appear in the enlargement;
but those that do appear in the small one, will be enlarged
with the picture.
POINT
V. Revive your impressions frequently and thus deepen them.
You
will know more of a picture by seeing it a few minutes every day for a week,
than you would by spending several hours before it at one time. So it is with
the memory. By recalling an impression a number of times, you fix it indelibly
in your mind in such a way that it may be readily found when needed. Such
impressions are like favorite tools which you need every little while—they are
not apt to be mislaid as are those which are but seldom used. Use your
imagination in "going over" a thing that you wish to remember. If you
are studying a thing, you will find that this "going over" in your
imagination will help you materially in disclosing the things that you have not
remembered about it. By thus recognizing your weak points of memory, you
may be able to pick up the missing details when you study the object itself the
next time.
POINT
VI. Use your memory and place confidence in it.
One
of the important things in the cultivation of the memory is the actual use of
it. Begin to trust it a little, and then more, and then still more, and it will
rise to the occasion. The man who has to tie a string around his finger in
order to remember certain things, soon begins to cease to use his memory, and
in the end forgets to remember the string, or what it is for. There are many
details, of course, with which it is folly to charge the memory, but one should
never allow his memory to fall into disuse. If you are in an occupation in which
the work is done by mechanical helps, then you should exercise the memory by
learning verses, or other things, in order to keep it in active practice. Do
not allow your memory to atrophy.
POINT
VII. Establish as many associations for an impression, as possible.
If
you have studied the preceding chapters, you will recognize the value of
this point. Association is memory's method of indexing and cross-indexing. Each
association renders it easier to remember or recollect the thing. Each
association gives you another string to your mental bow. Endeavor to associate
a new bit of knowledge with something already known by, and familiar to you. In
this way to avoid the danger of having the thing isolated and alone in your
mind—without a label, or index number and name, connect your object or thought
to be remembered with other objects or thoughts, by the association of
contiguity in space and time, and by relationship of kind, resemblance or
oppositeness. Sometimes the latter is very useful, as in the case of the man
who said that "Smith reminds me so much of Brown—he's so different."
You will often be able to remember a thing by remembering something else that
happened at the same place, or about the same time—these things give you the
"loose ends" of recollection whereby you may unwind the ball of
memory. In the same way, one is often able to recollect names by slowly running
over the alphabet, with a pencil, until the sight of the capital first
letter of the name brings the memory of those following it—this, however, only
when the name has previously been memorized by sight. In the same
way the first few notes of a musical selection will enable you to remember the
whole air; or the first words of a sentence, the entire speech or selection
following it. In trying to remember a thing which has escaped you, you will
find it helpful to think of something associated with that thing, even
remotely. A little practice will enable you to recollect the thing along the
lines of the faintest association or clue. Some men are adept memory
detectives, following this plan. The "loose end" in memory is all the
expert requires. Any associations furnish these loose ends. An interesting and
important fact to remember in this connection is that if you have some one thing
that tends to escape your memory, you may counteract the trouble by noting the
associated things that have previously served to bring it into mind with you.
The associated thing once noted, may thereafter be used as a loose end with
which to unwind the elusive fact or impression. This idea of association is
quite fascinating when you begin to employ it in your memory exercises and
work. And you will find many little methods of using it. But always use natural
association, and avoid the temptation of endeavoring to tie your memory up with
the red-tape of the artificial systems.
POINT
VIII. Group your impressions.
This
is but a form of association, but is very important. If you can arrange your
bits of knowledge and fact into logical groups, you will always be master of
your subject. By associating your knowledge with other knowledge along the same
general lines, both by resemblances and by opposites, you will be able to find
what you need just when you need it. Napoleon Bonaparte had a mind trained
along these lines. He said that his memory was like a large case of small
drawers and pigeon-holes, in which he filed his information according to its
kind. In order to do this he used the methods mentioned in this book of
comparing the new thing with the old ones, and then deciding into which group
it naturally fitted. This is largely a matter of practice and knack, but
it may be acquired by a little thought and care, aided by practice. And it will
repay one well for the trouble in acquiring it. The following table will be
found useful in classifying objects, ideas, facts, etc., so as to correlate and
associate them with other facts of a like kind. The table is to be used in the
line of questions addressed to oneself regarding the thing under consideration.
It somewhat resembles the table of questions given in Chapter XVII, of this
book, but has the advantage of brevity. Memorize this table and use it. You
will be delighted at the results, after you have caught the knack of applying
it.
QUERY
TABLE. Ask yourself the following questions regarding the thing under
consideration. It will draw out many bits of information and associated
knowledge in your mind:
(1) WHAT? |
(5) HOW? |
(2) WHENCE? |
(6) WHY? |
(3) WHERE? |
(7) WHITHER? |
(4) WHEN? |
While
the above Seven Queries are given you as a means of acquiring clear impressions
and associations, they will also serve as a Magic Key to Knowledge, if you use
them intelligently. If you can answer these questions regarding anything, you
will know a great deal about that particular thing. And after you have answered
them fully, there will be but little unexpressed knowledge regarding that thing
left in your memory. Try them on some one thing—you cannot understand them
otherwise, unless you have a very good imagination.
FINIS.
CREATED BY WISDOM DRAGONS
Comments
Post a Comment