Is your memory getting worse? Are you forgetting the most recent matters and always look for keys, remote controls, wallets, bills, etc.? Do you find it hard to listen, read and concentrate? Do you remember clearly what happened in the old days, but forgetting what is happening in recent days?
Do you know what is causing all this? The answer is very plain, our own memory. Our memory is killing our reminiscence. In a normal human cycle, we only have about 16 hours of brain activity each day. Within this 16 hours, our brains are working heavily in memory, thinking about our most unforgettable and striking experience, in joy or fear, constantly and repeatedly every day. We can think of the same memory again and again for ten of thousand of times, and have all the space in our brain occupied and blocked by old memory, therefore, the most recent, uncharacteristic, daily life styled memory cannot be stored securely in our brain cell. Then we will forget where we put our keys, can't remember names of new friends or phone numbers, we can't concentrate on our reading and new learning, because the old memory keeps coming out automatically and disturbs our concentration.
We all have a lot of memorable or unforgettable memory within our life span, something that strikes our heart and we will think of again and again, and carry them to the rest of our life. Therefore, the older we get, the more memory will be carried in our brain, and our brain cells will be weaken further more. This is why we can't teach an old dog new tricks. The whole situation is quite like a computer full of data and software; the whole system will slow down, and jam frequently. Only removing the unwanted data or software will speed up the computer again.
During our infant period, our brains have virtually nothing stored, knowledge and languages will be taught and stored in our brains gradually while we are growing up, and that is the easiest and fastest period to learn anything. After we have developed our own thinking and personality, and our life is getting substantial and complicated, memory will start to build up in our brains. Our learning and memorizing abilities will decrease while our age and memory increase.
The old memory not only re-plays in our brains repeatedly; it also is recalled in our daily conversation. How many times have we heard an old man recalls the good old day or heart-breaking experience? You have heard so many times, you even know what he is going to say before he opens his mouth. This will also create a huge generation gap between the youth and the elder, because the youth usually don't have enough patience to stay close and listen to the same story again and again, and will find them too diffusive and annoying.
We have the same problem when we are quarreling, we always bring up the past about what we have achieved or sacrificed, try to overwhelm or convince the others to admit and appreciate for what we have done, or apologize for what they have done wrong. But how many times have we got a positive answer, instead we only hear the others to say something similar in return, to fight back for what you have just said. We will both go into our own song and dance about what we have achieved or sacrificed, and what others have owed. This type of argument will become part of the daily life, and will go on and on forever.
This is one of the reasons why the youngsters do not like to live with their parents or grandparents. They are simply tired of hearing the same educated or valuable history or self-center argument again and again. Therefore, bringing up the past will not make people appreciative, but rather make people annoyed, upset and walk away.