My brother-in-law remembers dates. His ability to recall particular events and when they occurred is remarkable. Dates are important. However, I forget dates. Sadly, I am regularly corrected when, for example, someone asks me how old I am — really! I tell myself that this deficiency is due to my focus on the future rather than the past. It is true, I don’t spend much time pondering memories; rather, I prefer to consider my next steps.
I have worked hard to remember my children’s and wife’s birthdays and my wedding anniversary, but without an automated reminder, this is where my capacity hits the wall. You would think that I would make sure all these other important dates make it onto my digital calendar. However, I feel self-conscious extending a birthday greeting if I need to be prompted by a computer. It is like getting a birthday card from your insurance agent. This is not something I am proud of but over the years have come to terms with my limitations.
Dates do have meaning and significance. The sequence and timing of personal and historical events impact their importance. However, I have always been a bit skeptical of dates. How are they chosen? Take for example December 25. This is the day billions of people around the world commemorate the birth of Jesus. No one knows when he was born, so when this particular date was selected in the third century it was clearly symbolic rather than an accurate marking of time. There were many days being considered including May 20, April 18, March 25, January 2, November 17, and November 20.
Isaac Newton in the 1600s suggested the 25thof December was selected because it marked the winter solstice on the Roman calendar. Much earlier, Augustine, in one of his sermons, pointed out this was the shortest day of the year and the moment each year that light begins to increase.
Dates are not only used to mark celebrations but can be weaponized. Many suggest December 25 was selected to supplant the pagan festivals that occurred during the solstice. Today documents that are sent to a business are often stamped with the date when they are received. Letters, e-mails and surveillance videos are marked with specific dates, which allow us to reconstruct timelines. These timelines are often used later to resolve disputes and occasionally solve crimes. The work here is one piece in a series of compositional studies that use a common rubber date stamp on notebook paper to elicit an experience or feeling. The work reflects on the way we record dates, the complex ways we utilize them and the way they make us feel. Perhaps some of the dates used in this work are significant to you. Maybe I simply needed to exorcise my demons. I am sure my brother-in-law could make sense of all these dates.