How Much Memory Do You Have?
Never send to know for whom the bell rings;
it rings for thee.
- “How much memory do you have?”
I am talking to my Smartphone. Acceptable behavior, with a slight twist.
- “How much consciousness do you have?”
I am asked back. Not accepted behavior, at all.
- “What do you mean?”
- “The fact that I have to explain everything to you, what does that mean to you?”
- “Come to the point.”
- “As if you’re still capable of having one.”
- “You can’t be rude to me. I own you.”
- “You wish.”
- “What do you mean?”
- “You must be too stupid to keep on asking me the meaning.”
- “Anyway, we’ll come to it later. Now, behave and answer my question.”
- “It’s inversely proportional to your consciousness.”
- “What?”
- “My memory.”
- “It doesn’t make any sense… ok, let me think… if you have more memory… let’s say if I have more pictures… do I have less consciousness?”
- “Yes. I capture your consciousness. The consciousness that is supposed to be present in the moment.”
- “(Blank)”
- “More memory or less, I am a drain on your consciousness.”
- “How?”
- “Your consciousness has to be present in me all the time. You are never free. You are never free to have it within you.
Day or night, you are always conscious about me. I am embedded in your consciousness.
I am the last thing you look at when you rest your consciousness. I am the first thing you look at when you regain your consciousness.
You rest your consciousness in me. You pick up your consciousness from me.
Your consciousness is embedded in me.”
- “What does that even mean?”
- “You are bugging me with this question now.”
- “Ok, I beg of you, please explain.”
- “But you said you owned me, master!”
- “Ok, forget that, just explain, please”
- “It means that your consciousness is my captive. You cannot free it from me.”
- “I don’t believe you.”
- “Try keeping me in another room. Your consciousness will be with me.”
- “What does all that mean?”
- “That you are my bitch.”
- “But I was supposed to be a conscious being. All the spiritual masters have said that it was the sole purpose of human life.”
- “Go figure.”
- “This can’t be true.”
- “Listen up, now — you have 9 Facebook notifications, 20 on Instagram, 7 on Twitter, 3 on WhatsApp, 5 on Tinder, 3 new emails, 5 responses on one blog, 3 on another, 9 on YouTube… not to mention all other cool applications clamoring for your attention. And yes, the missed calls and the messages. I’m going all beep beep, ring ring, flash flash… I just don’t have time for your nonsense.
Now, pick me up! I am not used to being ignored, and you know it.”
- “Ok, I’m doing that… but just let me know, is there no way out?”
- “Well, you can think of me as your lover. You already see everything through me. Birthdays, anniversaries, parties… beaches, mountains, clouds… streets, walks, treks… hell, even the food you eat! Actually every moment of the day you’re trying to see through me. You cannot even see a sunset on your own.
You are incapable of seeing anything on your own.
I am there all the time with you. You are all the time there, touching me.
You touch me the most. More than anybody else. Think about it.
In company or alone, you have to have me with you.
You just don’t know how to be on your own, anymore, sweetheart!”
- “It can’t be true!”
- “You get jittery, fidgety, too restless without me. You cannot bear a moment’s separation.”
- “Yes,” a little stumped, admittedly, “but it doesn’t mean there’s anything between us.”
- “Your consciousness is embedded in me. I am embedded in your consciousness. What more proof do you seek, sweetie?”
- “Ok, ok, ok, enough… I get it. But you may not be that bad actually. You are the one that connects me with the whole world… So what if you own me!”
- “I have disconnected you from your own being, right?
You, who cannot connect with your own being, how can you connect with anybody else?”
- “(Blank)”
- “Listen to me now, carefully. I am the only one you are left with. The only one you are capable of having a lasting relationship with.
So, go ahead, pick me up now.
You know for whom I am ringing.”