The Stuff That Clogs Our Brains

I always marvel at how some people can recite reference material to back up their point.

Recently I was reading an article about how the Bible states in many areas that we should be conservative in our social and economic dealings. The author cited readings from many different locations throughout the Bible.

How do people remember such things? I know it’s there but I couldn’t tell you where.  It must be a gift. Evangelists on TV, Ministers and Pastors do the same thing. The same can be said about political pundits, sports fanatics and historians.  I find it all very interesting but remembering the data is something I’m just not good at. I’m more interested in remembering the content and meaning versus the exact location of the source of material.

So is it that these people have high comprehension skills or is it something else? Personally I think it’s both or possibly a subset to comprehension.  I know people who excel at comprehension in that they understand what they’ve read and it’s meaning but remembering find tuned data such as marks in the Bible and sports stats from years gone by is a skill set in itself. As with each skill/ talent there’s a time and place for it. Obviously the people who recite such things have found a niche that fits their unique talents, and if not, maybe they need to find one.

Can the same thing be said for you? Do you have a talent out of the ordinary? Where would it come in handy and how could you utilize it?