In Memory-Ville There are no Roads out of Town

Marshall McLuhan, a famed philosopher of communication theory, liked to say, “You can’t drive into the future staring in the rear view mirror.”

And he was right, sort of.

And he was wrong, sort of.

Of course anyone living in the now has to keep an eye on the roadahead.

But as you grow older, there often seems like less and less is on the road ahead.

And if you glance even further down the road, mortality’s glimpse is of a tall man dressed in black holding a scythe in one hand and thumbing for a ride.

On the other hand and at the same time, any of us getting older discover there is more and more suddenly appearing in the rear view mirror.

And no matter the breathtaking view of a life lived consciously in the now, it is the town in the rear view mirror called Memory-Ville that keeps expanding.

In Memory-Ville the population is always growing.

And whether its family members, kids you grew up with, or stars you watched on the big screen, even remembering or keeping it straight about who has moved to Memory-Ville is a daunting task.

In Memory-Ville the girl you first kissed is still 12.

In Memory-Ville your Uncle Lou who told the great stories is just about to double fist pump the punch line, again.

In Memory-Ville the dog you loved and bite the mailman, is still wagging his tail.

Yep, you can’t drive into the future staring in the rear view mirror, but across time the view of Memory-Ville in the rear-view mirror can often be a lot more inviting than keeping your eye on the road ahead.

And here’s the Breaking News.

One day, some day, when your Facebook “friends” go to your “Timeline” they will discover you too have – here’s a flash – moved to Memory-Ville.

However, you are no longer posting.

Cuz, in Memory-Ville you don’t post photos of you at 5 sticking out your tongue at your baby brother, or playing the air-guitar in front of the Elvis statue in Memphis, or sharing the “selfie” of you and your love in retirement toasting the perfect wave on the perfect beach.

We live in a time machine. We visit the past in our memories. We visit the future in our imagination. But the control panel is always in the now.

And the best way to get where you want to go is to be where you are.

So, yes my friends, Memory-Ville is a town that is always growing.

But keep this in mind.

In Memory-Ville there are no roads out of town.

Honk, honk!

Noah benShea, Copyright 2016