Usually, one thinks about such things either at the end of life or in catastrophic circumstances, and so it happened that I recently found myself in them. And I began to ponder: what is the most important thing in my life? The most precious and significant? And I couldn't come up with anything.
The first thing that came to mind was a memory from childhood: being in my mother's arms as she rocked me, wrapped in a blanket, in the yard on a summer evening under a strong, warm wind. That is the earliest and first memory of my life. The second was deep, dreamless sleep. But I decided to dismiss such experiences because they are animalistic, and therefore-worthless. I'm sure you don't understand what I mean; let me explain. For example, when I was given Promedol (a narcotic opiate) several times before surgeries, I experienced the same serenity as in that childhood memory - so what, should I say that serenity from a narcotic opiate is the most significant thing in my life? Of course not. The same goes for deep sleep: we cannot assign value to unconscious states. Forgive me, I am not a poet.
And then I realized that what is truly valuable and significant in my entire life is not graduating from university, a good position, a wonderful family, buying my favorite brands like Lanvin, Marni, MM6, dinosaur teeth, meteorite rings- I didn't even think about those things. They all seem so petty and insignificant, so empty. No, the most valuable thing turned out to be the time I spent with books. My activities... like studying the entire cartography of the Pre-Raphaelites on Wikimedia Commons, exploring architecture, noting down my favorites -and then learning their descriptions, founding years, details, specific locations, overall views. None of this will ever be useful to me anywhere, yet I consider these pursuits the most valuable in my entire life.
I was very interested in the method of memorizing large amounts of information- it's called the Memory Palace. I have fountain pens and notebooks where I've copied numerous notes from books. I've memorized what I've written by heart - various pieces of information, such as how in 1807 Napoleon bought the entire ancient part of the Borghese collection in Rome, which is now in the Louvre, and which pieces remained - Raphael, Caravaggio - I know every one. I know the "Dies Irae" by heart, passages from the Iliad in Greek, and how many meters high the vaults of Santa Croce are. Before going to sleep, I often retreat into my Memory Palace and fall asleep there.
Forgive me, towards the end I've exhausted myself and don't know how to conclude. Perhaps you could answer the question:
What is the most important, valuable, and significant thing in your life?
