The Essence of Memory and Past

The answer to me was actually quite obvious, no. I would not be myself if I could not remember my past. If my past were to be completely erased from my mind at this moment with it would go all memories, acquired education, lessons that were learned through mistakes, the impacts of the culture that I grew up in, and so many other experiences. All the things that have shaped and molded me into the person that I am today would be gone, leaving an empty shell with no identity. I guess it can also depend on a person's definition of identity. To me, identity is the composition of cumulative experiences that have shaped the way we presently act.

So if my memories and my past were to be erased I don't think I'd be me anymore. All my passions and interests would be completely gone leaving someone who doesn't know who she is and why it is that she dedicates herself to the things she does. That is just not me, I am not one that lives an unpassionate life. If you're someone who lives life routinely with no meaning, then maybe forgetting your past won't affect who you are. But for those who don't live their life just for the sake of living, then forgetting your past leads to forgetting meaning and therefore forgetting who it is that you are and what it is that you stand for.

The essence of "you" lies in your past because that is where everything that has brought you to this moment is contained. In the Alzheimer's article, the narrator's mother suffers from this disease which causes her short-term memory to deteriorate. However, her mother remembers certain routines that she had, like attending mass everyday at noon. This deatil was quite stricking. However, I don't consider routines as a part of yourself. Sure they're habits that you've grown accustomed to, but should these "routines" be a definition of yourself? I don't think so. So as the mind and memory deteriorate, so does your past therefore robbing you of who it is that you are.