Local Business With Global Impact Global Coverage

Two Words to live by..., by John Miller

    Many words come our way every day. Few people live by them. There is a lot of talk; little action. A Chinese proverb puts it well: Talk does not cook rice. I propose a different formula—just two words: Remember and Forget. Do we do either? More importantly, do we know when to do which?

    Many words come our way every day. Few people live by them. There is a lot of talk; little action. A Chinese proverb puts it well: Talk does not cook rice. Yet, people, papers, and poets keep generating words and proclaim that we should live by them.
     But do we? Could we, even if we wanted to? After all, how are we to live by countless words we cannot remember?
    I propose a different formula—just two words: Remember and Forget. Do we do either? More importantly, do we know when to do which?
    Few words so opposite in meaning have so much in common and are so critical in application, yet so often misapplied. Think about it. How often do you hear “Remember when…?” or “Oh, I forgot…”. The point is simply this: both words can be positive or negative; both can bring success or failure.
    Remembering and forgetting can be easy or difficult depending on the details involved. We tend to forget to be thankful for our blessings, but have no trouble remembering to complain if we believe we have received less than our share. We don't seem to have difficulty remembering who hurt our feelings, but often forget to send cards or give words of encouragement to others in distress.
    People tend to forget God on the sunny days of life, but expect Him to remember them when the stormy days arrive. The mass media are slow to remember reporting positive stories about people, places, and projects, but never forget to make the latest scandal front-page news. Nations forget or ignore their own faults, but are quick to remember and criticize the faults of their enemies.
    Simply put: We tend to remember the negative and forget the positive. Our memories both fail and haunt us, depending on the circumstances involved.
     Alan McGlashan pondered this dilemma in his book The Savage and Beautiful Country: “Since man must remember if he is not to become meaningless, and must forget if he is not to go mad, what shall he do?”
    The answer, it seems to me, is a matter of choice. Since both remembering and forgetting are important, we must learn when to do which and then find the will to make the right choice.
     Consider some things we ought to remember: the joys, the pleasures, the achievements, the lessons, the triumphs—make your own list.
    Consider what is best forgotten: the frustrations, the insults, the disappointments—burn your list!

     Two words to live by: Remember and Forget. The words are easy. However, remembering to forget, without forgetting to remember may prove a bit more difficult!

Comments

There have been no comments made on this article. Why not be the first and add your own comment using the form below.

Leave a comment

Please complete the form below to submit a comment on this article. A valid email address is required to submit a comment though it will not be displayed on the site.

HTML has been disabled but if you wish to add any hyperlinks or text formatting you can use any of the following codes: [B]bold text[/B], [I]italic text[/I], [U]underlined text[/U], [S]strike through text[/S], [URL]http://www.yourlink.com[/URL], [URL=http//www.yourlink.com]your text[/URL]