Pages 87-92 – in this section, Volf begins talking about moving from the process of remembering to action based on memory. He discusses Tzvetan Todorov’s idea of exemplary memory, memory that moves toward action in that it learns from past wrongs and seeks justice in future similar situations
Volf believes the concept of exemplary memory is hollow. He states, “As a rule, it is not that we fail to draw lessons, but too often in a way that tramples justice underfoot and fans the fires of conflict rather than fighting injustice justly and promoting peace.” pg. 93
What are examples that you have seen where memory serves as a lesson that is applied to future situations? Have those lessons encouraged the fighting of injustice by promoting peace or by returning wrong for wrong?
Volf believes that in order to act justly, even in the face of wrong, sacred memory is necessary. For him, sacred memory is found in the meta-narrative of the redemption found in the Exodus and Passion stories. For Volf, sacred memory provides the space to understand ourselves, our community, our future and ultimately, God.
“Memories of these pivotal events from sacred history, I suggest, should serve as the broad framework that regulates how we remember wrongs suffered in our everyday lives.” pg. 94
Volf posits that redemption and love are the themes found in the Exodus and Passion stories, and when rightly understood, they change everything. There is one quote, in particular, that I would like to share.
“…the memory of the Exodus guards against the tendency to pursue healing at the expense of others. Even though God is the God of Israel, God is not a private deity to be placed at the service of particular interests; rather, God desires the flourishing of all peoples… We cannot consistently worship the God of Exodus while pursuing our own healing by oppressing or injuring others.” pg. 109
This quote challenges me. Often times I feel wronged and react to pursue my own health, to the detriment of others. But, like Jemila last week, I wonder how this forgiveness and right action really works in a broken world. Volf states earlier, “After all, suffering inflicted by others is an assault against the conviction that we live in a moral universe.” pg. 91
Living within the disappointment of a broken world, but resting in the hope of God’s love and redemption seems to be the crucial understanding. How have you seen that work out in circumstances you have been involved in? Is it difficult or easy for you to remember and act in light of God’s redemptive work through history and why? How would our actions as individuals and within our faith communities differ if we really understood that God desires the flourishing of all peoples?
Labels: Book Discussions, The End of Memory
I tend to agree with Volf that exemplary memory is really less applicable than we think and often causes more harm. I think it can be more helpful to explore our own learning and focus on taking the plank out of our own eye rather than to seek to remember how another behaved wrongfully toward us in the past for the sake of avoiding the same thing in the future. We may successfully avoid the same FORM of what happened earlier, but the dynamic will probably still recur in a new form unless we take our own learning from it on a deeper level and allow God to make us whole, aware, solid, yet humble and grace-filled people and cultures.