Bellah And Sennett Collective Memory Essay

In Bellah and Sennett’s essays they refer to memory, more specifically the collective memory of the community. Both of these authors mention, that a big part of this is to remember not only the good but the bad, too. As Bellah puts it, “The communities of memory that tie us to the past also turn us toward the future as communities of hope.”1 To me, this means that the good gives us hope for better, while the bad gives us hope that the good will be coming around the corner. Learning to deal with, and share the memories from a lifetime ago is important. “The communities of memory that tie us to past also turn us toward the future as communities of hope,”2 Bellah explains. By remembering the past we see the pain, the misfortune, the danger, and the list could go on and on; but we also see hope for a better tomorrow. Recalling the bad, while looking at a problem facing the present, reminds us we are stronger than we think. Just as the communities each of us live in faced hardship to get to the place they are now, they will face even more, but are stronger now than they were at the beginning. This is because, “… collective memory is a source of social strength.”3 The strength of the nation, city,
town, or community is greater than before because of the remembered hardships from the past. Memory needs to be collective, instead of just individual, to grow closer and go farther in life. If each of us as a whole keeps the memories that we have to ourselves then we won’t be able to help each other out. As Sennett says, “…memory has become increasingly subjective and internal…”4 Due to this more and more people feel alone and abandoned. Without the ability to help others by sharing the memories that make people feel better our society would crash and burn within a year. As a community of pain and joy, it is our duty to share this so that we won’t ruin ourselves. The past teaches us, helps us and deserves to be shared. Without sharing the memories of our past, we will repeat the mistakes from the past. I personally learned that memories, along with the things that have happened in the past, can bring people together better than food.
As Sennett put it, “Remembering well requires reopening wounds in a particular way, one which people cannot do by themselves.”5 This is very true. I had to reopen wounds that I know I wouldn’t have survived, both literally and figuratively, without knowing that I was not by myself. See, I was raped multiple times when I was younger. I tried my best to forget it, but I couldn’t. It is a memory “which forgetting cannot heal”6 and I needed help with getting over it. This memory, along with the pain that comes along with it, brought my family, friends, and church family closer together because they all wanted to help me deal with
everything.
This instance goes along with what Bellah and Sennett are saying, which is that we have to be helping, caring individuals who make a community live by sharing both the good and the bad of life. Without sharing this information we will lapse into a community, and country, that will forget everything, repeat it all, and continue in a vicious cycle that will do nothing to help the community and country. Everything is connected; every memory which has been lived is out there and just needs to be shared. We can learn from the past, open the wounds of old memories, and help each other with everything that life entitles to each of us.

Endnotes:
1) Bellah, Robert. Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life, 229.
2) Bellah, Robert. Habits of the Heart: Individualism and commitment in American Life, 229.
3) Sennett, Richard. Disturbing Memories, 283.
4) Sennett, Richard. Disturbing Memories, 283.
5) Sennett, Richard. Disturbing Memories, 285.
6) Sennett, Richard. Disturbing Memories, 284.