Hello!

Welcome to The Epic! I am launching this blog as a manifesto for and a guide to living well. The title and motto of the blog are taken from the Epicureans, at least some of whom believed in the notion that not one minute of the future was guaranteed to them and that as a result they had the duty to live life to its fullest every moment.

I believe in discovering fun and pleasurable things wherever I find myself each day and I am told I have a knack for unearthing them. My hope is that by sharing in my pleasures and some of my ways of finding them you will begin to collect all the riches that lie in the moments of your life. They are there. Take them! All our lives should be.....Epic.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Epic Dictionary: Engram


Engram \EN-gram\, noun: The supposed physical basis of an individual memory in the brain; a presumed encoding in neural tissue that provides a physical basis for the persistence of memory, a memory trace.

I don't know if this is true or not and from the use of "supposed" and "presumed" in the definition, it all seems well into the theoretical ether. At least for a literary type like me. But think about it. The notion that nice things we do and say create a permanent, physical, impact on others. At a cellular level. Without physical contact. The idea that we can make others permanently better with a kind word. Or a big, bright smile. I love this concept and I hope that it is true.

Of course, the opposite is also true. A book I like a lot says that the words that come from our mouths can be more damaging than what we do with our hands. We need to keep that in mind too.

Lets make positive engramming a part of the Epic Manifesto for 2011. We can all go out and make a happy, lasting impact on the people around us. And on the world as a result. It is certainly worth a try.

Attribution Note: Definition from dictionary.com.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Lets make positive engramming a part of the Epic Manifesto for 2011."


Wow.

I'd not known of that word before now, the definition is beautiful, the possibilities endless, I love the way you presented it. Could my ego be the reason you caught my attention? No, your posts always catch my attention.

Engram. My last name, Ingram, might possibly derive from this word. So I will take responsibility for the definition, too. Your post has come along at just the right time. I needed a little boost to be less of a smarta**.

Positive Engramming/Ingramming, I like it, I'll do my best. Thank you for a wonderful kick in the a**.

M.Lane said...

Flo, thanks for the comment! I think we could all use some en/in gramming...

ML

Anonymous said...

An Epic idea which I will embrace.

And while I'm at it, the next time you go 2 weeks w/o a post, pop one up that simply says N/D ("Not Dead"). You worry us!

Best Regards,
LD

M.Lane said...

LD, thanks for noticing! I'll take your suggestion. It has been a brutal month.

ML