Written by: Niva Shrestha - 30017, Grade VI
Posted on: 08 August, 2023
Memories are an important part of a human's life. While some short-term memories can last for a few hours, long-term memories can endure for years. Memories help us identify a person and the bond we have with them. Without memories, we might perceive even our parents as unfamiliar strangers. There are various significant memories we wish to cherish forever, but for someone with a short-term memory, it is challenging to retain things for an extended period. On the other hand, individuals with a long-term memory can remember things for an extended period of time without much difficulty. Short-term memory issues can arise due to factors such as lack of sleep, an unhealthy diet, a deficiency of B12, and stress, among others.
There are memories we hold dear and want to remember forever, while there are others we wish had never occurred. This is the paradox of memories: certain distressing memories we wish to erase may resurface unexpectedly, triggering traumatic emotions that took years to overcome for some people. Memory is a unique and personal possession, close to anyone else's recollections. Scientifically, memory refers to the capacity to retain information or a representation of past experiences, founded on the cognitive processes of learning, retention over a certain span of time, and the subsequent reactivation of that memory. Yet, in my view, memory surrounds both the joyous and sorrowful moments of our lives, whether shared with others or experienced alone. These moments are stored in our brains, awaiting the day when we might recall them.
