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Sep 15, 2019
"To forget the self is to become one with the world as it is." --Dogen Zenji
Lewis Hyde: To Study the Self is to Forget the Self
In this lively conversation with Lewis Hyde, author and critic, (his latest: A Primer for Forgetting), he offers a reverse take on our ongoing concern about memory loss. "The liveliness of an oral culture is partly due to the fact that it can simply forget things that no longer fit the present need," he points out, "which would be useful if you want to be lively." So why not praise and value forgetfulness?
BE THE CHANGE
Hyde points out that according to St. Augustine, "salvation requires forgetting the past and the future, that is, stopping the mind's habit of musing on the past and anticipating the future." What would happen to your sense of presence in the moment if you gave up thinking so much about yesterday and tomorrow?
