Beyond Ego – The Interpretive Nature of Memory

You must learn to get in touch with the innermost essence of your being. This true essence is beyond the ego. It is fearless; it is free; it is immune to criticism; it does not fear any challenge. It is beneath no one, superior to no one, and full of magic, mystery, and enchantment.” -Deepak Chopra

Recently, a friend wrote an interesting article on the power of memory and it’s ability to influence our present thinking. Much like my friend, I too pondered this question on. the power of memory in evoking particular feelings. My take on it is somewhat different, however.

Much like Chopra suggests, getting in touch with the inner most essence of one’s being, allows us to place the importance of memory in a more judgment free zone, or as he puts it “beyond ego”.

My view is simply this, memory is interpretive. Our memory dictates our view of something or someone, not the conscious state of being. The facts of something positive or negative, are determined by our intrinsic and reflective response to it.

I want to make an immediate comment here regarding memory and trauma. They are not the same thing. A memory in itself doesn’t cause harm by its nature, but a conscious or semi conscious act directed specifically at an individual with the intent to cause pain or injury, emotional or physical is a traumatic event. We may connect memory of that event to a trauma we have experienced, but they are not one and the same.

Often the result of trauma is a series of psychological and sometimes physiological responses requiring intensive therapy and guidance in order to restore healing. The challenge for most of us is that our ability to remain in touch “with the inner most essence of our being” becomes lost or damaged and so intervention is required to restore our sense of self or ego.

Rather than becoming immune to fear or challenge, the fight or flight response in each of us takes hold of the ego. The power of memory is not the issue, it is our response to it that is the critical issue of understanding here.

It matters little hypothetically whether it would make any discernible difference if we could go back and change the course of a memory to alter its impact in the present, because the reality is that we cannot. All we can change is our response to it. That is the critical point of understanding.

Have you ever wondered, for example, how two people might recall the same memory, but respond quite differently to it? This is because we bring our own unique thoughts, ideas and perceptions to the table.

The event is the memory, how we interpret it is dependent upon our own thinking of the event and how it has manifested itself in our own unique experience and set of circumstances and this is where conscious choice plays a powerful role.

“To dwell in our true being is liberation; the sense of ego is a fall from the truth of our being.”