On another forum, long-term spiritual seekers are debating the efficacy of the olde spiritual dictum "Be Here Now." I found it refreshing, because "being in the Now" is rarely brought into question. It's just accepted by most on a "spiritual" path as a Good Thing, something we should all aspire to.
So I started wondering what life would be like if we were all like the character in "Memento," with no short-term memory, and with limited long-term memory, just enough to allow us to remember language and how to communicate and how to do whatever we needed to do to feed ourselves and be of service to others around us. What would such a life be like? I contend that we have no examples with which to judge the concept. Even the Supposedly Enlightened seemed to have no problem remembering the past, and using it as an example of what people shouldn't do if they wanted to Be Like Them. Lord knows we saw Maharishi carry around grudges for years, or decades -- just re-read the article about how he lashed out at the reporter who dared to bring up the Beatles in one of the last "interviews" of his life. Other spiritual teachers I've met had the same ability to remember the past, and thus either to learn from it, or be bound by it. So what would a life *really* lived as Be Here Now be like? Would there be any wars? Most of them in history have been caused by disputes or hatreds based in the past. Would there be any interesting art, or movies, or music, if none of the artists involved could remember their influences, and what they could have learned from them? Would there be any art at all? What would conversations be like if no one in them could remember anything that happened more than a minute ago? Would they be something like this? "Hello." "Hello, back. Who are you?" "I'm...uh...Jack. I think. I think I live next door to you. And you?" "I think I'm Joe. Uh...nice day, eh Jack?" "I guess. The most I can say is that it's a nice Now." "I hear you, Joe. It's really a nice Now." "Isn't Now great?" "Sure is." "Well, it's been great talking with you...uh...what was your name again?" "Jack. I think." "Great spending a little Now with you, Jack." "You, too...uh...whoever you are..." :-)
