Forgetting

How often we as humans forget. We forget the smaller things-such as where we place our keys, or where that favorite shirt went. We forget the bigger things-such as appointments, planned quizzes for school, or even paying the bills on time. And I do believe we also forget the life changing moments.

Reflecting back on those moments in my life, I noticed how quickly impacting moments could be dismissed from memory. A few years back when I was sick as well as being in pain, I remember telling myself that if I ever was able to heal and move on that I 'would never forget how those moments made me feel.' Fast forwarding a couple years down the road and my promise barely hits the daily radar. I recall some objective memories, but I realize I cannot fully identify with those feelings I felt in that moment. I think of another example with love and loss. Having someone leave your life is unbearable. At least I remember saying those words a while back ago. In the moment of loss, you become numb--a encapsulating depression becomes your reality and you wonder if there will ever be a life without this excruciating pain.

I forget all the time how much people care about me. I forget how much I am blessed and how I am provided for. I forget on a daily basis how I am on some levels a successful person.

As I Christian, I shamefully admit this forgetfulness happens all the time when it comes to remembering the impact of what occurred on the cross. I remember a few years back, watching The Passion of Christ sent me weeping in the theaters. It was sensory overload bashing on the strings of my emotions, slapping me in the face with the reality of what the Savior actually did for mankind. Emotionally, physically, and spiritually exhausted from the 127 minutes on the screen, I vowed to myself that I would not forget what He did for me. It is often that more days than not, I barely register the thought, feelings, and facts of what actually occurred with that moment.

Why do we forget?

Do we lead too busy of lives to actually sit down and marinate on the crucial pieces of our past?

I think on some level we always remember what has happened in our past, but what I cannot connect together is why do we forget the emotions and the realness of what happened in that exact moment.

Maybe it is just me. Maybe it is our bodies natural defense mechanisms, purging of anything less than euphoric or at the bare minimum, neutral. But even if that is the case, I do believe that we forget the good as well as the bad. Does this mean that we can't fully rely on emotions? I don't necessarily believe that emotions are bad...I believe they can be a vital link towards memory retention and understanding.

So then how can we learn from our past by not forgetting the freshness of moments of our past? What are our capabilities of memory and feeling retention?

If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience. - George Bernard Shaw

Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it. - George Santayana