Momento Ergo Sum

       "And suddenly the memory revealed itself. The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Combray (because on those mornings I did not go out before mass), when I went to say good morning to her in her bedroom , my aunt Léonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea or tisane. The sight of the little madeleine had recalled nothing to my mind before I tasted it; perhaps because I had so often seen such things in the meantime, without tasting them, on the trays in pastry-cooks' windows, that their image had dissociated itself from those Combray days to take its place among others more recent; perhaps because of those memories, so long abandoned and put out of mind, nothing now survived, everything was scattered; the shapes of things, including that of the little scallop-shell of pastry, so richly sensual under its severe, religious folds, were either obliterated or had been so long dormant as to have lost the power of expansion which would have allowed them to resume their place in my consciousness. But when from a long-distant past nothing subsists, after the people are dead, after the things are broken and scattered, taste and smell alone, more fragile but more enduring, more unsubstantial, more persistent, more faithful, remain poised a long time, like souls, remembering, waiting, hoping, amid the ruins of all the rest; and bear unflinchingly, in the tiny and almost impalpable drop of their essence, the vast structure of recollection." ~The Madeleine by Marcel Proust

"Of course, once Proust began to remember his past, he lost all interest in the taste of the madeleine. Instead, he became obsessed with how he felt about the cookie, with what the cookie meant to him . What else would these crumbs teach him about his past? What other memories could emerge from these magic mouthfuls of flour and butter?" ~Marcel Proust: The Method of Memory by Jonah Lehrer (pg. 81)
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        Lehrer discusses memory in the terms that Proust believed were true. He tells of how a weak Proust wanted to leave a mark on the memories of others. Proust was a master of flowery language and introspection according to Lehrer. Proust had an ability to see into himself and his mind through mundane or trivial acts. Through the eating of a cookie, Proust is able to envision his own ability of remembering and memories about himself that are very much unrelated. Lehrer's article tells of how Proust's work and thoughts on memory were very complimentary to the scientific aspects and studies. Proust himself recognizes the power of art and science but tells of how the artist deals with the reality of the situation (Lehrer 77-78). Proust is a visionary of memory and describes many things that help give an artistic light to scientific theory.
         While the topics of both readings were of memory, i want to focus on something a little different. Proust talked of how memories were plagued by influence of ones self. In other words, when someone remembers something they change little details in order to convenience themselves. Lehrer tells of how Freud studied this in victims of sexual abuse. (Lehrer 82-83) This theory that memories are what we want to believe means that we in fact cannot tell the truth and thus our memories tell more about the person recalling them than the memories contents. For this reason, I propose a look not into memories of the past, but memories that have sprouted from the great void of nothing. The French call this Deja Vu. It is when one recognizes a current happening that has either unknown or no groundings in the past. In the case of Proust, this brings to mind an interesting hypothesis.
           If memories have actual roots to a past happening, and a person remembers said happening with thoughts that are influenced by their personality; then what does it mean for said person if only the latter were true. In other words, if a memory has no roots but someone remembers it then what does this say about this person. Therefore, is Deja Vu the subconscious commentary of a persons actions or rather is it a the wishes of the self being portrayed in reality. Barring miraculous events, sorcery, or prophecy; one must really look at this in the light of the mind-subconsciousness relation. Deja Vu is curious in this aspect because of the ambiguity of their meaning. It is the raw view of oneself through a blind belief in a fake history. Deja Vu, in the context of Proust, is like a subliminal message from our self to our-self but we must be open and ready to study and learn from them. Rather than focusing on memories, I believe Proust is trying to get to a core idea of finding "Self" through our experience of life. However, Proust may not have considered Deja Vu because of its uncommon nature and thus focused on regular memories. If someone were to talk to Proust about Deja Vu, I wonder what his response would be and what he could find out about himself or others based on there own happenings. So remember, next time you have that weird feeling think about it in terms of your own self. Think of what your subconsciousness is trying to tell you or maybe even remind you.