Do you find it hard to remember what you did yesterday or even today? Yet memories from your childhood, like that time when you were riding that bike as a kid down the street, eating that favourite ice cream etc. Why is it that we find it so easy to remember and recollect the moments of these?
Why is that? Why are childhood memories so easy to remember? Why is it that simple childhood memories seem to embed themselves into us so much more than other adult memories? Could this something that is physical or mental related? In that the structure of our brain and how it is developing affects our memory? Is it that as we get older, we forget more? But how is it that old people can still remember their childhood memories so well as though it was yesterday?
Can it be that we remember more easily as a child since you’re meant to learn things (like a new language) much easier and faster as a child than when you are older? I.e. you can capture, learn and absorb more from your surroundings and from the world when you’re younger.
Perhaps it is because they have nothing to worry about, that their minds are clearer and purer as they are more carefree. They have fewer responsibilities, and heaps of time to let their minds just wonder... Could this be why young people seem to be so creative than older people? But what about those older people who are quite creative and inventive? Could it be that they’ve learnt to simply let go and revert their minds back to the childhood days?
Either way, it seems to me that letting go of the stresses that society has put forward to us is the answer to at least allowing yourself to be more relaxed, calm and healthy. As time isn’t meant to be spent worrying about all the common stresses in our westernised life, particularly by the man made stresses that I believe are apparent in our society that seem to clutter the minds of so many, such as worries about money, jobs, and trying to accumulate so much wealth...
If we take a step back and look at what is truly important in life and what we truly need, then you will see that life isn’t as bad as you think. The fact that time can heal the mind is an example of how it is just our reality of a time in our lives which may be tough but it simply appears tougher than it is.
I’d say it’s best to stay happy, and appreciate the gift of life as it is and to let go. Hopefully, by doing that, it won’t simply be the childhood memories that you will remember, but also the memories of today. Because today is where you are, and today, is what you should live for!
-Vu
