Memory clear as film

History is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soul. ~ John Dalberg-Acton

God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December. ~James M. Barrie

It’s great to reminisce about good memories of my past. It was enjoyable when it was today. So learning to enjoy today has two benefits: it gives me happiness right now, and it becomes a good memory later. ~ George Foreman

Do you remember events in your life that your peers have no recollection of? Well this is definitely a gift I possess, I can remember events as early as three-years old. The saddest part about this is that there are times in my life that not even my siblings or parents remember. I’ll try to remind them of certain events and they simply cannot remember, or go far as too say that I have a wild imagination. Frankly, I think it’s because my parents were constantly busy with school and work as I was growing up. They did not have the spare time of reminiscing recent memories from not too long ago, only to allow the stacks of paper to burn in the camp fire, shortly becoming ash and then fertilizer for the nearby bushes and trees. Through stress and being busy with countless tasks, most humans have a harder time to retain the basic components of their day.

There are three forms of memory; long, short and working. Long and short term are rather somewhat evident, but as for working memory it is a little bit different. According to National Geographic, working memory, “. . . lets us keep something in our minds for a limited time by repeating it. Whenever you say a phone number to yourself over and over to remember it, you’re using your working memory.” Memory is overall a fascinating topic that can be talked about for hours. Memory itself can be categorized into two different categories. Two different categories that memory can be categorized are; declarative and non-declarative. Declarative is a category in which we can consciously remember through basic facts, common information and the experiences/encounters we go through in life that form the basis in our memory. Non-declarative memory is when we unconsciously learn and remember to do certain physical matters such as riding our bikes, driving a car, tying a knot, casting a fishing rod, or even how to cook a steak.

Although it is important in understanding the structures of the memories we have, it is also vital in fathoming the destabilizing parts for our memories known as Amnesia. Amnesia is when we lose memories. Ways of encountering amnesia can be caused by an injury to the temple, going through a stroke, a tumor, and certain levels of alcoholism. “There are two main types of amnesia. The first, retrograde amnesia, occurs where you forget things you knew before the brain trauma. Anterograde amnesia is when brain trauma curtails or stops someone’s ability to form new memories.” This is unique to learn and brings attention that all of our memories aren’t just allocated to one spot in our mind, but in fact placed in different regions per the nature of the thoughts.

What if we purposely want to forget something, or even alter the memory to not having to remember the memory as we first remembered it? Can this be perfected? Yes it can be done. Of course it won’t take a second to do this but a series of attempt before successfully perfecting the art. Typically anything we recall is reconsolidated. To change this, we have to graft the original with a new though, or even attempt to trick our mind to accept it as fiction to completely disband the thought. We have this power to do so whether we want to alter or destroy it. Think it over for a little bit before continuing to do so. Nothing is wrong with doing this, but think it always over. It is better to be certain than not and only having regret.

After reading all the information I have posted about memory that I picked up from National Geographic, I hope you realize that you should be grateful that you can recall your memories. Having great memory is a sign of great health. With great health comes a long and prosperous life. I would like to hear about the depths of your memory if you would love to share. It is truly incredible how every individual has a different method on remembering certain aspects in life.