In our lives, there comes a time when we wish to forget certain parts of ourselves. It could be a really embarrassing moment or a painful memory of losing someone. Have you wondered what if you could have those beautiful memories in your life and get rid of the painful ones? Some of us would be thrilled to know that it is no longer a dream to get rid of our painful or bad memories. Yes, it is possible to selectively erase, alter, or degrade your memories. One such potential tech is Decoded Neurofeedback. With DecNef, it is possible to trace and disassociate the neuro patterns that trigger pain. But that’s enough about the tech. Today, we are going to talk about memories. I mean why would someone want to erase his memories? That’s stupid, right? Huh? Not really! It’s not that simple. Let’s take a few examples to understand this but before that, we should ask ourselves what we mean by memories.
Simply, we can say that memories are the threads that connect our past and present. Every day we make new memories in the form of information we collect, people we meet, and the experiences we go through. In a nutshell, memories make you what you are at present. But then why would we want to get rid of memories? Would we not lose a sense of ourselves? It’s because not everyone we meet gives us good memories and not all experiences make you happy and cheerful. Some experiences can be quite painful and they can hinder your growth. The same memories that make you human can make you suffer to an extent that you would just want to forget. For example, you survived a terrorist attack and now you suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), altering or erasing your memories can help you treat PTSD. You can also think of a relationship gone sour, a massive heartbreak you experienced. Some would say it’s quite common to have breakups. Why would you want to alter your memories? But it’s not the same for everyone. Some people find it extremely difficult to deal with heartbreaks and are unable to move on. Still can’t imagine? You should go watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It is not to suggest that you should not go through grief and just get your memories erased. Everyone has a unique journey. No two persons are the same and how they deal with painful memories can differ to a great extent. But what if you get a chance to not suffer anymore because of your memories? Who wants to suffer? Right?
When you suffer because of your memories (people or experiences), why not just remove those memories? You can have a less painful life. You can now control which part of your life you want to keep and which part you want to discard. Isn’t that fascinating? You can finally have some control over your mind. You can finally go on a path of emotional healing, conquer your fears, and get rid of your insecurities. Some of us may say that without suffering you can’t grow. As they say, with age comes wisdom. It is only when we conquer suffering, we grow, right? But we should also ask how much suffering is enough. For how long should we suffer our memories before we call it quits? There is no way of universalising this. Only a person who is suffering can decide when it is enough. But when one suffers his own intelligence, can he make a rational decision? Can we say he is capable of deciding what to do with his memories? If he can’t, who should decide for him and why? However, life is about choices. We make choices and choices have consequences. So, everyone should have the right to make choices about his memories.
Interestingly, we attach values to memories like good or bad (for simplification, pleasant and unpleasant memories). Can we really compartmentalise memories? Sometimes bad memories are so intrinsically intertwined with good memories that it is difficult to separate the two. Even if we can selectively erase the bad memories, what about the gap? We may encounter discontinuity, the loss of continuity in our memories can have ramifications for our sense of identity. Will the discontinuity in our memories not make us suffer? Perhaps, not to the extent of previous suffering but a sense of gap might bother us. We might end up trying to fill that gap and search for lost memories. That could be a terrifying situation. But remember choices have consequences.
If we go a little deeper, then we will have to ask ourselves what we want in life. Perhaps, we can’t decide what to do with memories without asking about the larger purpose of life. Is it happiness we want? Is it experiences and lessons? Do we just want to push ahead in life without considering the consequences? There is no single answer to these questions. Your experiences can teach you to be kind and forgiving. They can teach you to be bitter and insensitive. You may become courageous or cowardly. It all depends on how you take your experiences and look at your memories. Mistakes are a part of life and to erase memories does not mean a person wants to start with a clean slate again. To erase one’s memories is a choice that can give liberty to people. When your memories stop your life and you have tried methods like therapy, drugs, or meditation, perhaps you should be given a choice to alter or erase your memories. When you have a choice to live again, would you not choose so? When you overcome suffering, you may be able to appreciate your life a little more.
Of course, we can never truly say that by erasing memories we can become happy. You may end up with unintended consequences. But life is not about certainty. If you look closely, uncertainty can be really beautiful.
Frame of Reference 