Associative memory is a wonderful thing. The sheer ability to associate objects, scents, shapes, words, sounds and music with events of the past is pretty fantastic. What makes this more impressive is that, sometimes, these events
occurred several years in the past. The fact that the human brain is able to retain minor details over extended periods of time is something that boggles the mind. We've pushed the boundaries of technology and understanding to incredible levels and with spectacular results and yet...we are humbled by something as simple as a memory...
I have clearly identified a particular smell that I will always associate with a certain activity. A particular deodorant that reminds me of a certain point of time when I used to use it almost exclusively while in the US. The images of my surroundings back then surround me even now and when I depress the nozzle of the can, I releasing those memories from the deepest depths of my brain...
I spun a few tunes on my
iPod and the randomizer played back a track called "
Ehsaas" which I hadn't heard in many months. The circumstances surrounding that track were pretty special and those memories rushed back with crushing potency...I could almost physically touch the details in this memory...when I listen to "Creed" - It reminds me of the daily trips in the
USF bus to and from classes...and events surrounding these trips...people...conversations.
Of all the possessions I have in the world, The ones I value more than anything else are the memories that I will take with me through time. They form a treasury of experiences that cannot be bought or replaced. Perhaps they can be taken away from me in the case of head injuries...which will be unfortunate. One thing I dread more than anything else is waking up one day without any memories...my life until that point will have been in vain...a void that no amount of monetary compensation can fill.
In my memories...I am happy...It is the best form of entertainment I have when everything else fails to excite me...I just close my eyes and I am transported to a place where I feel at home...
And its all right here in my head...
