Sometimes I just want to write...

Sometimes I just want to write....about nothing in particular. Must I have a point?

Anyway, for me I think sometimes I write (not on here usually) just to find out what I'm thinking, or to better organize my thoughts. You know...those thoughts that can jumbled up in your head in the day to day grind....those thoughts that haven't really been thought through to their logical end.

For me, I once told a friend at the time that I'm fine living with contradictions. I told him that most of the things we'd talk about for hours with our other friends...that I had already thought of and decided for myself what made sense for me and that the answer was sometimes that the irrational human side of me dominates.

And I think for most people, they don't feel that way. I think most people like to think they make sense all the time and that their lives jive with what thy beleive and that no matter what they thought on a given day about a given thing that it all makes sense within their overall framework or logic and beliefs. However, if you were to ask most people enough probing questions and apply logic ruthlessly you'd find contradictions in spades. **note...people don't like this***

So what is it about us that keeps us from working to all logical ends of our assumptions and beleifs and living our lives by what those dictate? Some might say that its purely a matter of time and only people who've got nothing better to do then sit around and think all day can even come close to doing that. In a way thats a half truth...many live very busy lives doing the best they can and live the way they feel they should live. But how did we come up with this "should" in the first place. Environment is a key element that dictates this. From the moment we are born we are influenced by other people's thoughts, conversations, books, tv and media. Incidentily these are the same things that sometimes rob us of time to think to ourselves. However, these are the ver things that sometimes make us think in the first place. What puts the spark in your head? What gives one the dicipline to follow through on that spark and arrive at the logical end? How do we live with ourselves not knowign the answers to these questions? Anyway, if you have read all this thinking I'm going to tell you - Sorry to dissapoint you...or perhaps did I just set a spark to go off in your head?

Memory

Memory, its a nice thing we humans have. Without it, we'd wake up everyday and wonder who we are, where we are, well...just about everything since well we woudln't remember everything and we could never build up on what we already know. Its so important that when we build semi-thinking beings (ie computers), its one of the most important factors we consider. It is however in humans imperfect, unlike in our electronic "friends" (ie conveninces we call computers). That much is indisputable.

This brings us a few questions. What do we end up remembering and forgetting? Why do we remember some things rathar then others? Why do certain things "jog your memory" and cause you to think about something you thought you'd forgotten.

Now I'm sure there is some nueroscientist out there that can help explain things, and some psychologiests that are willing to throw in their 2 cents as well. Since I don't have either at my disposal at the minute and research at this hour and state of sleepiness is more befitting of a student then yours truly...I'm left with only my own thoughts about this. How lucky for you my faithful blog reader!! :-P

I assert that its almost impossible to answer those questions because I am sure its is different more differencet cases etc. My thought on the matter is that we should just be conscious of the imperfection of our memories and deal with it. What other choice do we really have? Some people deal with it better then others. I know in the past I've made assertions purely based on memory and have even been quick to accuse others of having "selective memory". The truth is everyone has selective memory. I've probably been wrong almost as many times as I've been right. The thing is this though. Some people are more "thinking" people, and some are more "feeling" people (according to tests like Myers Brigg etc). Our brains probably work differently, but I think memory is most often dominated by feeling. Events that cause some reaction to your emotions often lead more lasting impressions. Intellectual topics that need memorization and are less basely attached to feelings are force fed almost. One tells oneself its important to remember thus causing a certain amount of incentive or pressure to remember...this then tranlates into sufficient emotional connection to produce lasting memory. I dunno, I guess I have half answered why I think people remember things even though I just said I wouldn't worry about the why. But then again....I have a point (who woulda thunk?!), and the point is relating to the "be conscious of it and deal with it" part of my thinking. Well, what can you do to remember things better? What would you want to remember? Say, its a good event that generates a good feeling. We'd want to remember that, right? I'm guessing that's a yes. So what does being conscious of the imperfect memory have to do with that? Well, I think that when one realizes they are in such a moment, one should slow down a bit - think about how they are feeling and really bask in their own emotional reward. This should create a more lasting good memory (if you take my assumptions to be somewhat close to the truth). Perhaps this is what people mean when they say "Stop to sell the roses" or "take time to appreciae the little things in life". And yes, I love cliches - I think they are around because they are forever relevant.

Well, this is me recalling a great memory now - though it may be colored by time one way or another - I can't help but feel, it is still great.