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If You Forget The Past...
By joseexist in Musings On Muses
September 20, 2011

If we do not remember the past, then we are condemned to repeat it. The source eludes me right now but that just confirms the true definition of the statement. It’s also a wisdom I love to use as often as possible. I also love trying to teach it to everyone I know.

Everything you experience throughout your life becomes a part of your collective memories. Recalling from that cache is not always a successful endeavor. Even sharp minds make mistakes. We are after all, only human.

When the memory of an event fails us then, we must re-experience the situation anew. In other words, we must live thru similar events in order to generate a memory comparable to the one lost. That is true unless of course some gymnastic synaptic maneuver generates said memory. Most often, we make the same mistakes. When we forget the mistakes of the past we usually repeat them at some time in the future.

Some memories evaporate forever, never to grace our synapses again. Still others, sometimes gone for greater part of a lifetime, sometimes lost for moments or minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or a few years, suddenly return to our mental circuitry. There, we spin them repeatedly like an overzealous DJ who’s just found a long lost favorite track. We do this in hope, that we never ‘forget’ such a thing again. Condemnation to repetition of mistakes is mostly self-inflicted.

Tie that string on your finger. Better yet, use a ribbon. Write your dear memory on both sides in permanent ink. More important; give compassion to those who have little or no control over their memories. Their circumstances will be repeated over and over. Lost memories can be blessings or curses. Perspective decides which road is taken. ALS, dementia, and brain damage are legitimate reasons for forgetting the past. Ignorance of the past is tantamount to sacrilege.