Amnesia

Amnesia has always fascinated me. Stories about someone who has completely forgotten their name, where they live, their hobbies and profession are eerie and packed with possibilities. The person could be anybody! The mystery is intriguing.

In reality, amnesia would be a very difficult trial to suffer. There would surely be a lack of foundation in your life and many insecurities to face. It’s more fun to think of amnesia as a fictional intrigue than wish it upon my life or someone else’s. Except in one way.

I like to have selective amnesia. Selective amnesia is choosing to forget something, and then forgetting it. It is refreshing to forget the awful things in life. The mistakes, the hurts, the misunderstandings, the offenses, and the regrets… It’s so easy to hold on to something that hurts. Selective amnesia is my mind’s way of saying, “Let go. It isn’t healthy to keep remembering that.”

We are wronged sometimes. It is a very heavy burden to bare the anger and hurt of being wronged. In fact, the burden is usually worse than the offense itself. Unless the hurt dissipates, it will turn to bitterness. And bitterness can manifest itself in many unhealthy ways, such as over-eating, poor sleep, unhappiness, and depression.

But we can have amnesia. We can choose to forget. If someone has done something to us that hurts, holding onto the hurt will only make it worse. We need to forget in order to be happy again and to bounce back into living to the fullest. And what happens to the hole that is left in our hearts when we let go of the hurt? It is filled with sweetness and love.