Jef's Activities in various years
Why keep this journal?
".. As soon as the points of value are once acknowledged, the principle, as I have called it, of unconscious selection will always tend, - perhaps more at one period than at another, as the breed rises or falls in fashion, - perhaps in more in one district than in another, according to the state of civilisation of the inhabitants, - slowly to add to the characteristic features of the breed, whatever they may be. But the chance will be infinitely small of any record having been preserved of such slow, varying, and insensible changes."In the same vein, replacing "the features of the breed" with the "state of the person", the history(evolution) of anyone is limited by what is remembered. And as those who hold such memory disappear, the information recorded in documents, such as a book, a journal or a picture, might be the longest lasting records. For most people, such documents are severely limited, and all documents will eventually be lost over time. How a person's evolution proceeds is usually not recorded in much detail. More tools for keeping such a history exist as time go on, but as in the case of this journal, due to loss of documentation over time, and the lack of saving such records, there are large gaps, and many historical events cannot be remembered.
Recently, the ability to record and broadcast, for example, innovations and how they've been achieved, has allowed us to push technology to new heights. This is one example of how recording events benefit us. However, the purpose of this journal is more modest - just to reinforce memories so as to extend them further than otherwise. The challenge, much of which has not and will not be met, is to fill in gaps before all memory is lost. Besides the history of the person, a partial history of other people encountered, as well as his environment, is also recorded.