Memes and Time

My dad and I were attempting to write a book about the myths and pitfalls of Identity this summer, and during that time I did some independent research on memes.

There is a widespread and common action that can illustrate what memes are and how they work. Ever find it interesting to ponder why all clocks can magically be set to the same minute? Different hours, perhaps, in different parts of the world, but there is a universal time that is literally believed by everyone to be correct. Is it really 3:53 PM right now? Or is it 3:52? Or maybe it's even 2:54 back home. Regardless, time is a rather arbitrary constraint, but without it, life as we know it would cease to function. Memes are rather the same way. They are arbitrary (because many memes are closely related to language, which on the whole was made up rather haphazardly) but without them, we wouldn't function with the same coherence that we do today.

Let's say someone goes out and buys a new watch. It's not set to the correct time, but remains useless at some choice interval off the real time. The person can't live with some made up time, so instead, determinedly, asks a friend for the time. The friend consults their numbers, and replies, hopefully correctly. The owner of the new watch trusts their friend and programs their new watch to have a new time. This was a very simple exchange of useful, helpful knowledge, as long as time remains important. If time was in no way important to your ways of living, if you never had to worry about being on time, this would have been a random interchange, unlikely to change your life much. But nevertheless, you've acquired knowledge that may help you live your life better.

Let's pretend that a long time ago, there was a tribe somewhere that lived in an area prone to flooding. In fact, every time it rained heavily, their lands would flood, and many people would die unless they were given enough foresight into the matter, giving them enough times to flee to higher ground. One person discovers the secret to predicting heavy rain, having lived his entire life in observance of the weather of the area. Let's say that he then tells his son that: Whenever the sun sets on only orange clouds, there will be a flood in the days to come. The son has now acquired very important information. If he uses this information, he will be able to live a more complete, less troublesome existence. This idea that: Whenever the sun sets on only orange clouds, there will be a flood in the days to come, is a meme. In some situations, it may make no sense, in some situations it may cause more harm then good, but in this specific area, it is very vital.

Likewise, memes can undergo modulation during transmission from person to person, mind to mind. Why does most of the world set their clocks to a 24-hour system, while clocks in the United States reset at one every 12 hours? Because it was more advantageous, or more easier understood that way in the new area. Sometimes things are manipulated consciously. Take for example the saying, "That's so cool," versus "That's so fright." Both things mean the same thing, but they use different words to convey the identity of the person using them. In the case of the latter, it is used to demonstrate a particular difference between the person and most everything else.

TBC