Avinash Patel Week 14: The Power of Remembering and Forgetting
There are two sides to memory. One side is the positive allowing you to capture great times in your life, and the other forces you to remember times that you wish to forget. Some events in our lives, like significant accomplishments or just happy moments, are things we hope to remember forever. We consciously want to keep these events stored in our memory and hope to revisit them to feel our past bliss. These types of memories are helpful when you are feeling distraught because you can tap into a part of your brain that reminds you of the feeling of happiness. Memories also help us live our lives better: for example, memories can help us make better decisions in the future. Like Lauren Gravitz says in an article published by Nature News, "[Memories] shape our understanding of the world and help us to predict what's coming" (Gravitz). By reflecting on memories, we no longer have to make the same mistakes multiple times, and instead, we can do things correctly after messing up the first time.
Forgetting is also a tool; all of us have things in our life that we hope to forget and will eventually forget. Things like events that bring sorrow and ruin our mood are better off forgotten than stored in our memories, ruining the positive ones we carry. The power of forgetting could also be beneficial to many people. "Those with severely deficient autobiographical memory . . . are unable to vividly recall specific events in their lives. As a result, they also have trouble imagining what might happen in the future. Yet in Levine's experience, people with SDAM tend to do particularly well in jobs that require abstract thinking" (Gravitz). According to a study, it has been shown that people with worse memory do better in some jobs. Would you rather have an excellent memory or have one that is worse than average?
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Hi Avinash, I really enjoyed reading your blog about remembering and forgetting things. Even though forgetting may be an inconvenience sometimes, it is helpful when you have to let go of something. To answer your question at the end of the blog, I would rather have a memory that is worse than average (which I already possess), so that I can live without regrets.
ReplyDeleteHi Avi,
ReplyDeleteThere are definitely two sides to memory, maybe even more! However, sometimes it does not work out in our favor. Sometimes, happy memories are unconsciously forgotten, and we are reminded of them when others talk about it. Other times, sad memories are stuck in our brain, and we overthink them. It all just depends on the situation. Forgetting things may be irritating or inconvenient, but they are an important part of brain functioning.
Hi Avinash, I completely agree with what you said as memories can be both cherished, and also we can wish to forget some as well. Funny moments to reflect back on is something that I hope to never forget, but, an embarrassing moment causing me to feel agitated is something which I hope to let go and never think about again. Unfortunately for us, that is something we cannot control, and therefore, we're forced to live with our odd moments.
ReplyDeleteHi Avinash, it is interesting how there can be two completely different sides of memory depending on the situation and our emotions. One side, the more positive side, includes our memories with loved ones and anything that we cherish. The more negative side is filled with the bad memories and things we wish we can forget. However, the memories that are stuck in our minds are sometimes out of our control, and to answer your question at the end of your blog, I would rather have a memory that is worse than average.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right that memory is both a blessing and a curse, and so is the less-appreciated act of forgetting. We often feel angry when we forget things, but those who cannot suffer from various trauma-related psychological disorders such as PTSD--such disorders force trauma survivors to constantly relive their events. Ultimately, our memories assist us to the best of their ability!
ReplyDeleteHi Avinash, I enjoyed how you formatted your blog post in a way that reflects the duality of memory. I competely agree with your stance on forgetting; it has a negative connotation that, while understandable, is not always correct. And to answer your final question, I think that I would rather have an excellent memory, simply because it would be an interesting experience.
ReplyDeleteHey Avinashi, i feel like memory can be a good thing and a bad thing at the same time. memory is a really unpredictable thing that is like a system it even protects us from trauma by blocking out memories so to me it is more good than bad.
ReplyDelete