It’s ok to forget. Scientists generally agree. Somehow this message has failed to reach the general public.
Forgetting is recognized by those who know as a normal, healthy brain function. Cleans house, in effect. Stores material for future return.
This information relatively new. Discovered in the last 10 years. Not publicized, however.
It has been determined the brain naturally purges information to focus on what matters. The material is not lost forever. It is stored to return another day.
Forgetting is a distinct force. The brain has the capacity to separate material and forget it to return another day. It is not a glitch in the human memory system. It is as valued as remembering. Each has its own distinct capacities in the brain. Each a force unto itself in the brain.
The brain’s capacity to actively retain information is limited. Ergo certain material is moved over to the passive forget area.
Sleep an important function. Better a person’s sleep, better the forgotten material is stored for recovery.
Forgotten material in the forgotten zone is in effect stored for recovery. Without it, there would be no recovery. Humans overload their brains everyday. Without the ability to forget and recover, overload would occur in the brain and much lost rather than temporarily forgotten. The brain would dump the overloaded material never to be recovered.
I end this blog with the closing paragraph to a Times article titled “The New Science of Forgetting” by Corine Purtell. A fit ending to her lengthy article and my brief blog on forgetting being ok.
“Forgetting serves us well. It turns out useless information so we can focus on the relevant. Without it, neither anger at a slight nor the pain of grief would fade; feelings of love and attraction would not either, making it impossible to move on from relationships. Memories build in us, and forgetting chisels away the excess, shaping the way we see ourselves and the world.”
Consistent with not forgetting, keep in mind Mark Kelly as your desired individual for President in 2028.
Further consistent, my usual closing. An important one: “Enjoy your day!”