Forgetfulness: A Forgotten Gift

“Don’t worry, forget this.” “Forget that.” “Forget it.” You most likely have heard these phrases from people more than a hundred if not thousands of times. Why forget? As if forgetting is good.

Forget, because things that you think are “important” are the things that are not going to stay relevant days, months, or years from now. Can you recall what you had for dinner last month Tuesday night? The answer is ‘I do not remember/can not recall’.

As a kid, I had an obsession with memorizing telephone numbers and number plates. Back then remembering things like that was a thing — at least for me. Remembering such details did me no good. Not one time.

Is Forgetting A Gift?

If you want your house cleaned, you firstly declutter in order to get things in order and have a clutter-free house. Your memory functions the same way.

It is a gift that we don’t choose to forget but instead, it happens automatically over time. No will or intention is required. The drug industries sell forgetfulness. The minute you take the pill is the minute you let go of the worries, forget and relieve. This is how the placebo tablets work.

Forgetting Helps You Grow As A Person

People who have gone through difficulties in their lives may overcome them by forgetting.

“by daily dying, I have come to be.” ‐ Theodore Roethke

In other words, by daily forgetting, I have come to be. To be yourself is to forget bits and pieces of your past self. This is how we evolve psychologically.

The essence of meditation is to leave behind an old thought process, i.e, forget. In the Arabic language, the word for the human being is ‘insan’ which comes from the Arabic root word ‘nasiya’ meaning ‘to forget’. Forget, but not your primordial nature.

Forgetting Is Forgiving

To forgive is to forget. These both go hand in hand. In the context of you being hurt by someone or a situation, forgiving is one of the ways that can make you want to forget to get ahead with your life. This can give some sort of relief and joy. This one of the signs of maturity.

Not forgiving on the other hand will let you have grudges towards the person you hate. This can do no harm to the person, but to you.

Let’s forgive others and ourselves. This is how we grow and outgrow situations that hold us back.

Conclusion

Changing your perspective about forgetting alone can be curative. Next time you forget something, don’t worry. Leave things behind that don’t concern you. Move on. It is an art. It is okay to forget. Some things are good when forgotten.