Dec 12, 2024
Dec 12, 2024
On several instances, I have felt that ‘memory’ is a bane and ‘forgetfulness’ is a boon. I consider myself to be a person with good memory power. But, remembering the incidents, persons, books, stories, movies, events are not good enough for life. Some are bad and certain others extremely worse; absentmindedness in such things would definitely have been a better proposition. But, alas, we are not made of a mind like a computer where we can erase or delete such garbage by a single command fully or if they are in writing which can be either erased or destroyed.
That is one part of it. The other one is that the memory still remembers the insipid to inspiring lyrics of some old film songs, kritis I learnt but could not recall some of the theories and laws of chemical engineering or thermodynamics (that subject was quite dreadful for me while studying itself!) instantly. I just wonder what our minds are made of?
Why do they have preferences? Why do they forget even certain good things but recall bad events?
The same holds good for the names too. I surprisingly remember the names of my family people and extended family persons names too. But, I could not recall the names of some who had met me a month back at times. I need to squeeze my memory to recall them. Once I was very proud of remembering the names of all the students studied in my class and those who came and did their project under my guidance; but, that too gradually waned now.
The present-day world and the lives of the newer generations are quite different in my opinion. For the past one decade, I didn’t have much opportunity to interact with very young ones, yet I have noticed that they just don’t care for anyone and if at all they do, that is with a purpose. It is not a blame; it is, in fact, a very practical approach to life in this fast-moving ruthless world.
Nevertheless, I am not alone.
I have earned a very good friend in ‘google’ who could help me to catch up with anything on any subject (including thermodynamics!!). My mobile phone is so prompt and keeps reminding me about where and when I was in a place, two or five year back on any particular day with even photographs. Amazing.
Well. Times and lifestyles keep changing. They have to change for good or bad. None can have any hold on that. So today my best companions apart from books, music and cinema are my Mobile and PC.
Luckily, like humans they don’t sulk or expect anything in return from me for their impeccable services.
21-Jul-2023
More by : G Swaminathan