Tradition and perception

A thought on perception from Merleau-Ponty:
"My first perception, along with the horizons which surrounded it, is an ever-present event, an unforgettable tradition; even as a thinking subject, I still am that first perception, the continuation of that same life inaugurated by it." (PP 407)

I think this is interesting because
1. it's confusing !
2. the tradition is "unforgettable." are all traditions? living traditions?
3. the perception is tradition ... perception seems like a personal act, but it's actually participation in a collective, worldy meaning. So it's "traditional" rather that "private."