Life & Love,Relationships

THE JINGLE OF MEMORIES (Reminiscences) AND FORGETFULNESS (Physiological Amnesia) … ‘स्मृति…विस्मृति’

Memories, Remembrances, Recollections etc. signify the capacity for or the act of remembering things. Memory applies both to the power of remembering and to what is remembered.

Our minds are like a glass filled with water. To fill in more freshwater, you first, need to spill some water.

The Hippocampus of the Brain’s Temporal Lobe is the Seat for Memories. It can store past events and knowledge in a fixed capacity. The erasing process starts as the memory load increases.  Some people do not let that happen and keep loitering in the memory lanes, keeping them alive.

How virtuous is it to keep brooding about the past, whether it’s good or bad?

Two people who share a common past may not remember it in the same capacity or honesty.

I met a childhood friend after almost forty years. She complimented me for my perfect recollections of small and insignificant instances from the past. To me, they were picture perfect. She said, “Anuj, this is scary because you remember so much about my past and I don’t remember a thing.”

Whether or not it was a compliment or criticism, I don’t know. I am still intrigued.

Memories, whether Good or Bad, are stored in the same Grey matter. You can’t be picky about keeping the good ones and saying goodbye to the bad ones. You are the biggest hypocrite and fabricator if you portray yourself as remembering the right things. You can, however, practice thinking only of the good times, but the irony is that bad memories also stick out at the slightest scratch.

“Sad memories are bad, but good memories are the worst.”

Good memories haunt and tickle the emotional cord all the time, pulling back into the past with a deadly comparison of the present moment. Our memory gives life back to those who no longer exist.

“Advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time.” FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE

I wish I could erase the memories of some classic movies and watch them again and again with the same gusto and curiosity; as if watching for the first time.

 

So much has been prophesied about things being forgotten.

The longer you live in the past, the less of a future you will enjoy. My father always talked of his golden past, when things were cheap; pollution was unknown; people had moral values and so on. He was always complaining, making his present miserable.

We need to forget the people from our past, for the simple reason that they don’t belong in the future. Just think, how can you start a new chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one?

The past keeps popping up in the Present – the people; places; instances, all giving you reminiscences and thoughts. How do you get away with that? You visit a place and remember the bench where you once sat with your beloved. How can you avoid it?

Nothing in the universe can stop you from forgetting the past and starting a new life; just be constant in listening to your Inner Voice.

However, the past exists only in memory — and only the instances that return it. Forgetting the past is not as easy as saying it. Ask a hardcore lover who has lost love in the past and is now on the verge of a breakdown.

“It is hard to forget someone who gave so much to remember.”

However, ‘moving on’ is not about not loving someone anymore and forgetting about them. It’s about having the strength to say, “I still love you, but you are not worth this pain.” … Trying to forget someone you love is like trying to remember someone you never met.

 

Past – Present – Future can be separated by just a few minutes or maybe even seconds. Every passing moment is becoming a Past, and we are in the Present for only a fraction of a second, because we are continually leaping into the Future.  The past is an absolute truth, and no one can change it.

“Forget about those who hurt you yesterday, but don’t forget those who love you every day.”

 

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4 Comments

  1. Sujata Sharma says:

    I feel , by not remembering the past , one wld be blocking himself/ herself emotionally. There has to be a balance in remembering past and at the same time moving on. If we forgive the people who’ve hurt , we do remember them but, don’t feel the pain or the hurt. If we remember our bad times with the understanding that all that happened to us for some learning and growth of ours , it will not arouse the same painful , hate filled or dreaded feelings again. Rather , wld make us satisfied that we sailed through and learnt something or became stronger. On the other hand , the happy moments of past make us happy , almost like reliving the same moments . If we remember them with the awareness that we have to live our present to the fullest, it simply increases the serotonin anday be inspire you to make your present also memorable.

    1. Dr. Anuj says:

      dear Sujata, hats off to your brilliant analysis and views regarding the past. I ditto your feelings and accept your thoughts. I belong to the category who remember the past and move on. I draw my passion and energies from the positivity of my glorious past and try to apply it in my present. My poetry and writings are reflections of my past.
      thanks again … regards

  2. […] cleaning the cluttering and trash from your house, frequently open your closets to dust the skeletons. Often it’s what you hold onto that holds you back. Give a pleasant look to all the skeletons […]

    1. Dr. Anuj says:

      thanks for your views

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