Daniel Alvizo 5/18 Remember to thank memory
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to remember everything? To never forget a single fact or detail you have ever known? It sure would make school easier. Tests would become obsolete and facts would always be at your disposal. Seems so efficient. But it is not as good as it seems. Imagine, never being able to forget painful memories. Being able to recall every embarrassing moment in your entire life. A perfect memory does not seem so great now, does it. In fact, that is not so much of a “perfect” memory at all. People see many aspects of memory as inefficient, such as not being able to recall certain facts, however the truth is memory is exactly as it needs to be. We do not remember everything because we do not need to remember everything. What we do remember, we either need, or can learn from it. Our mind subconsciously prunes trivial memories to save space on the proverbial “hard drive” of our minds. Our Memory has evolved over millions of years to be exactly what we need it to be: a way to store and recall important information, and to evaluate what information can be deleted. It has also come a long way from simply remembering which foods are poisonous to eat, and which animals are dangerous. Our memories are nothing short of incredible. We continue to learn new things about how our minds and memories work, but it is always important to recognize that we do not really need to understand it to appreciate what it does for us.
Hi Daniel,
ReplyDeleteI believe that everything happens for a reason. People fail to realize that forgetting is an important process that takes place in the brain. For one, the ability to forget helps us prioritize. Most of the time if we fail to remember to complete a task, it was not too serious of a job anyway. Forgetting is in balance with memory, and it allows us to grasp particular concepts in a mass of information. I think that if we remembered every minor detail of every day, we would become extremely stressed out and not even be able to function the way we do. Forgetting also removes outdated or unnecessary information. It is similar to a constant update or refresh of the brain.
I often find myself wishing I was born with a photographic memory, but your post is an excellent reality check. It is true that we are not appreciative enough of forgetting. I would be highly valued in a society that praises forgetful people rather than those who seem to possess total recall! And from an evolutionary perspective, it does make sense that we only remember what is absolutely necessary for our survival.
ReplyDeleteHi Daniel, there are certainly times where a perfect memory would come in handy, but I agree with your point that it would largely be a negative thing. After all, if there was no way to "turn off" your perfect memory, the result would be a mind cluttered with unnecessary information and irrelevant memories. The power of forgetting is certainly not to be underestimated; it has probably saved me from reliving an innumerable amount of embarrassing moments.
ReplyDeleteHi Daniel, a perfect memory would really be beneficial during things like a test or a presentation. However, I feel like it would be too much of a burden otherwise as you would not be able to get rid of meaningless thoughts and memories. There is a reason why we do not remember anything and why we tend to forget things that we do not need to remember.
ReplyDeleteHi Daniel, I found your blog to be very interesting. I agree that although it may seem ideal to have an unfaulty memory, it is not realistic. As humans, we all evolve and grow from our past mistakes. We learn to accept as well as to let go, and it is vital to appreciate ourselves for who we are. Our memory, however imperfect, as a part of what makes each person unique to themselves.
ReplyDeleteHi Daniel, I actually think of this quite a lot. It would be so great to have an amazing memory, like that of an elephant, so we wouldn't have to struggle to remember certain things when we most need to. But, that's not possible; so instead, we have come up with tricks to help us remember things better.
ReplyDeleteHey Daniel, I feel like if we could remember everything it would make learning anything a useless concept. The process of forgetting pushes us to focus harder on our studies and the things that are important. I also believe that without the ability to forget things our abilities to develop would be severely stunted because of the loss of necessity to study or review things solely relying on memories is never a good idea because they can easily be altered by our own self conscience.
ReplyDeleteHi Daniel, I would rather have perfect memory and remember the bad ones and the good ones also. The idea of being able to ace every test is too good to pass up. I also think that the negative memories could help you in the future by reminding you what made you feel that way. This idea also refers back to the way of thinking the grass is greener on the other side.
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