The Importance of Memories in Our Life

Humanity has the ability to remember portions of their past, there are some who can remember it vividly and others who could not remember a single thing about there past. Memories are like snapshots or images that get stored in your brain. To most of the population, events can trigger someone to remember different types of feeling towards that event. Base on how similarity it as to our past experience. Causing it to be easier to remember certain portions of the past, but as well forget completely about. To most of the population, events can trigger someone to remember different types of feeling towards that event. 

To begin with, “why do memories fade away?” Because your brain rewires constantly based on activity. So memories that are not accessed often, will become less and less connected and so fade away. If they fade out is not completely clear, as it is still not completely clear why some experiences become memories, where other experiences never enter memory space. For example, you might still remember that beautiful morning sunrise somewhere in May, and how it made you feel, but can not remember which day it was or the time. While for another memories you can remember the date, time, the smell, and the people you are with. But can not remember clearly how you felt. This does not necessarily mean that in twenty years later in the future, you can not remember you had that experience. Suddenly, out of nowhere something trigger in your psyche, the environment brings back everything including those feelings. Then you have this strange effect of memories almost like deja vu, from our youth. Popping up as we become older and older, where you wonder how that helps your survival.

‘Memories of painful emotional experiences linger far longer than those involving physical pain. There is an old saying that sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can never hurt you.’ To the contrary, evidence shows that hurt feelings could be worse than physical pain. In the words of Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” For instance, I have this memory I remember it was just happened like yesterday. Back then when I was in fourth grade I got bullied by some kids in my class. They called me fat and overweight. They gave me a nickname as “whale” and a bunch of ugly words. Just because I wanted to join them playing games outside in a gym period. I will never forget that day because they made feel insecure about my body and made me feel down. As I grew up I loved my body even though what they had sad to me.

Furthermore, these untrustworthy memories among the most cherished we have. Memories of childhood are made out to have a particular kind of authenticity; we think they must be pure because were cognitively so simple back then. We do not associate the slipperiness of memory with the guilelessness of youth. When you read descriptions of people’s very early memories, you see that they often function as myths of creation. Your first memory is special because it represents the point when you started being who you are.

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