I’m re-reading “As We May Think” with a careful eye in preparation for exams and this time, a quote stuck with me that i think is really important given some conversations i’ve been having lately:
His excursions may be more enjoyable if he can reacquire the privilege of forgetting the manifold things he does not need to have immediately at hand, with some assurance that he can find them again if they prove important.
On one hand, this assumes that perfect memory is always valuable. Perhaps “the privilege of forgetting” allows us to not face the nitemares or other elements of our imperfect lives that limit our ability to move forward and live. I think of the people that i know who cannot forget the negative. What would it be like to always have it on hand? Would you always play it in a masochistic kind of way? Perhaps forgetting certain things is the only way to evolve.
I will never forget the monks who came to visit me when i was younger. They spent a week building a beautiful work of sand art only to destroy it upon completion. Sometimes, life is about the ephemeral process, not any precise moment or end result.
Talking to futurists and reading about the possibility of greatly extended lifespans has made me think about what it means to grow older. Suppose for a moment that advances in medicine make it possible to keep our brains and bodies working smoothly for a very long time. Would our minds still get old — saturated with unforgettable knowledge of the world’s injustices, cynical from a lifetime of watching the best laid plans go awry, less open to new ideas, set in our ways? Are there things we can do to keep our minds young and supple, inspired and eager to learn?
Computers become less reliable and less useful over time as more software components are installed, even if the hardware is undamaged and continues to function perfectly. Do all information systems, including minds, suffer from similar gradual degradation in the face of increasing information complexity? Or are minds different in a fundamental way?
My forgettery is as important if not more important than my memory. I have completely forgotten the paid of my medical procedures, but remember every great conversation or quote in the context of my expanding world view. I guess the problem comes when you need to be non-linear about your growth and know that you need to come back to this place in the future. I think the trick is to put little markers in your memory so you can get back. I still remember my friend Jon playing a trick on me when I was in a weird state of mind. He said, “THIS IS THE REALEST THING YOU’LL EVER KNOW!” I still remember the twinkle in his eye and the loop it sent my brain in. ;-p
more fun along these lines (although it’s a slight detour from issues of memory per se):
http://www.cheesebikini.com/archives/000228.html