Nov 10, 2015 12:13 AM

In the spirit of posting something that helps me because it might help others, I put forward the following:

I posted a comment some time back, where I related part of a conversation I had with Scott Duncan. In that post, I mentioned that he is the only man who had ever taken the time with me to actually look up the definition of a word before resuming the conversation. Well, recently, that same word came up in another conversation I was having with someone else and guess what.... I had forgotten the precise definition. One of the things we are learning here is how damn important it is to be precise. So I had to go and look up that word again. But is that it?

It was not so long ago, for me anyways, that yes, that would be it. But now, you see, I am putting some of the pieces together. I can "see" that my brain is actually running a program.... (thanks Scott) And I can "see" some of how it is working, and I can also see some of that "filter" in action. So in order to carry on into the next revision I wanted to make a change.

I think that it is horrible that I forgot. It is small and insignificant on the surface sure, but when you dig a little deeper it really stings. Look at it this way... Here is a man whose time is very precious, and he gave me some of that time, for free, without asking anything in return... To impart something important unto me. So now, a year later, I had forgot something. I mean, if I let that pass it is like shitting on him for his efforts isn't it?

So Fuck that. I want to figure out why, these words that I thought I knew but meant something other than what I thought, seem to slip back into the wrong category again with forgetfullness. I had invested the time and energy into looking something up only to have it slip away. I have experienced this more than once now, and now that I am watching for glitches in my thinking, I see them all over the place. How many are there that I don't see (yet).

So I began a couple months ago looking into ways that computer science can help me solve this problem I am having. It is the answer to everything right? Although I have not got it totally sorted (yet) I think I am far enough along with this little experiment on myself to report back to anyone who cares to read this, what I have found.

When investigating "forgetting" and learning tools, I came across a computer program that is using an algorithm to anticipate the precise point in which someone is about to forget a fact and it then brings it back up again for study/review. You can dig into the articles on their site if you want, just google supermemo and go from there.

Overall, the idea is this. I determine what I want to learn and remember, and I feed that into the program. Then I trust the program to bring that back to my attention when I am about to forget it. In this way, I can be precise about what I want to keep, and what I want to let fall from my mind.

Having said that, I still think that a program like this is a crutch. Although, if I were to draw a comparison, I think of it like a guy that has been in a wheelchair for years, and now needs to walk... Let him use the crutch until he can do it on his own.

I know that I was/am broken. I know now that I've been lied to all my life. I cannot unlearn what I have been shown. What I can do though is put the effort into NOT doing that to others. I see now, since being exposed to Scott/Tara and the rest of the Tender For Law group, the damage that inflicts. I do NOT want to be a raindrop that contributes to the flood.

So with more work, perhaps I will purge the rest of the crap, and retain the gold.