Happy to Forget

I've always been a forgiving person, I think. I'm not the type to hold a grudge. I have a pretty good memory--particularly when it comes to remembering useless facts that no one else cares about--but I seem to excel at forgetting things people have done wrong to me. I like this about myself because I spend little to no time dwelling on things. Sadly, this worked against me during my marriage to a woman who--I'm now sure--remembered everything anyone, anywhere had ever done to her that she took objection to or was able to find offense in. I was defenseless against this. Often, the best I could muster was to remember vaguely that I had been angry with her a couple of weeks ago, though the why of it always seemed to elude me. Needless to say, I lost a lot of arguments. But, the further I move through life, the happier I am to be like me rather than to be like her. When I lay my head on the pillow at night, I do not find myself stewing over old slights or offenses. I've forgiven--the easy part--and forgotten--often, the hard part. So, I'll gladly trade being able to dredge up a list of wrongs and offenses in an argument for being able to go through life without stoking a perpetual fire of resentment. I'm happy to forget.


http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/future_tense/2012/02/memory_enhancement_technology_and_a_future_without_forgetting_.single.html