So much is rooted with memory. Just thinking about how much memory actually affects us it astounding. Everything from the kind of food we eat, to the people we like, and what we do in our spare time. Everything is memory based; our friends, music, art, and emotions. Why would we go to school if we could not remember what we learned yesterday? How could we fear something we couldn't remember? It would be impossible to live without memory.
In "Miracle" Kim Zorn Caputo says, "Memory is the force behind making art - the drive not to forget.". But Caputo also suggests that forgetting some things is like "...shedding purposefully...". Sometimes forgetting things is necessary. Just because something is forgotten doesn't make people less of a person; it just makes it easier to continue on without the guilt, fear, or any other emotion attached to the memory.
I do have to say it is possible to live without your memory...you just make new ones.
ReplyDeleteIf you couldn't remember things you wouldn't make memories because you wouldn't remember what you did. You wouldn't be able to work because you wouldn't remember that you had a job. You wouldn't know how to communicate because you wouldn't remember what language was. How we remember certain experiences is one of the biggest things that make us who we are. Without it we wouldn't know what to do with ourselves. Without memory life wouldn't be worth living if it was possible at all.
ReplyDeleteIt would be great if we could choose to forget certain things forever, unfortunately life does not work this way. Maybe someday they will make a pill. For now we might choose not to take that photo.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe it's impossible to live without memories. Think of people who suffer from Alzheimer's Disease and can't remember their own spouse, children, or life-long memories. Certainly it's not impossible to live without memories, however life is much less valuable without them.
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