Memories

Just a short think piece on this since I’ve only been posting about books for ages.

Memory is a really strange thing, you always fear losing it, but when it starts to happen you can’t remember what you’ve forgotten and aren’t as bothered by it. (I’m talking about memories about life rather than forgetting to turn the stove off or something.) I’m losing memories of college and what it was like, and while I don’t want to lose those memories, I’m not super concerned about it.

It is possible to completely psych yourself out about this, but really we have so little control over our memories. Going back over the memories we have changes them slightly every time, so even if we don’t completely forget them we still alter what’s remaining. Who can say what really happened years ago now?

It is possible to pick out the elements that you will remember, but what’s important here is the message, the take away, rather than the memory itself. Maybe you remember that time your friend stayed up with you all night. No one really knows what was actually said then, but the point is that your friend was caring enough to stay with you all night.

And this is all the opposite of what we expect from our brains. We want hard facts, definite dialogue, and certainty about our past. Instead what we get is murky feelings and uncertainties. It’s important to let go of these notions, and try to accept what you remember as what it is.