Ethan Nguyen, Week 15 - I Forgor
Forgetting things is an annoying fact in life that we have to deal with on a daily basis, especially when you are in the middle of a test that may or may not decide the fate of your grade for the rest of your semester(a bit more than annoying I would say).
Being able to create memories is an evolutionary ability both animals and humans have. The useful ability allows us to learn about the world and how to maneuver through life. While memories may seem like an obvious benefit in life, the usefulness of the act of forgetting memories may not be so clear.
However, forgetting memories allows the brain to create new memories. Due to the way the brain works, it does not have infinite storage for memories. The brain has to let go of some of these memories by forgetting them to allow “space” for the new memories. By forgetting, we can let go of memories that may have been waying us down in the past. Another interesting benefit of forgetting is its benefit to creativity. Sleeping, which allows the brain to forget some of the memories, allows individuals to be more creative.
On top of these benefits, methods of digitizing information and storing them on the web reduces the necessity for memory. In the modern age, being able to remember every little detail is even more unimportant.
Not only is forgetting essential for the body, it enables growth. It is important to understand that forgetting is not a weakness.
https://www.mindful.org/why-our-brains-are-designed-to-forget/
I completely agree with you about the fact that forgetting things gets annoying especially during crucial times like taking a test. I was always curious about why we forget certain memories. It was interesting to learn about how forgetting certain memories helps with the formation of new memories. Many of our short-term memories are used to store information for a short amount of time so new memoires can be formed. Forgetting these memories lets us leave our past behind. Once I am done with my AP Biology and Physics test, I will forget all the memories related to those subjects to let go of the past. I did not know forgetting memories helps us become more creative, this was an interesting topic I learned while reading your Blog. I loved your conducting sentence as it shows that forgetting memories is not a weakness, this made me feel better and I also want to understand why we forget certain things. Overall, your blog was well written and informational.
ReplyDeleteHey Ethan,
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate with you about how forgetting things is one of the most facts of life. Whether its my ID to sign into flex or my pencil pouch, I always end up forgetting something which affects me negatively. I really like how you talk about forgetting memories. Its not something that we think of often, rather we think of remembering memories. The most important memories of our life are the things that are called our "life" when we die. Things like our AP Biology class are not something we will remember in the long-term, especially if we have no use for it. During our age of technology, this information can always be found online. The only things we really need to remember are the things that shape us. Its like Tim O' Brien said in the interview we watched: "we erase our lives as we lead them." Thank you for writing this blog!
Hi Ethan,
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I enjoyed your introduction since it was humorous, relatable, and it immediately captured my attention. I agree that memory has immense capabilities but I feel forgetting them could also be beneficial. For instance, a traumatic moment that brings a military veteran PTSD, as hard as it is to forget, would be beneficial for the victim since it would help allow them to move on. The limits of memory are very interesting, especially how they differ between different people. Some of my friends have photographic memories and can remember everything they did the day before whereas others can not even remember what they had for breakfast this morning. I agree that technology is very useful with helping recall memory since I utilize my phone to create reminders for myself of the tasks I need to get done for the day. Finally, I appreciate how you ended your blog since you emphasized that we are all human and forgetting is not something that defines our character. Thank you!
Hi Ethan, I like how you introduced your blog with a relatable statement about forgetting something important in the middle of a test that could really affect your grade. I have definitely, and unfortunately, also been in that situation before. Additionally, I found the structure of your blog to be convenient for the audience as the paragraphs are quite small and they follow a logical order. I think forgetting memories can be quite useful in some situations like if you have had some bad or embarrassing experiences that you do not want to remember or, as you mentioned, when the brain needs more space to create new memories. Either way, forgetting memories definitely seems like an important function of the brain. Furthermore, with cameras on phones, we are able to easily capture all moments that we want to, whether significant or not, so we do not have to worry about forgetting those memories. Overall, I enjoyed reading your blog and thank you for sharing.
ReplyDelete