Are Your Forgetting Too?

Is this what some of our brains look like?

AI is hiding nothing from us. Everything we want to know is at our fingertips at the press of an iPad. Humans, with their inquiring minds, want to know everything, whether there is space in their brains or not. Knowledge is without boundaries now.

We are all learning at a cost to our sanity and mental health. Is it worth the price we are paying?

Last Sunday, I called the electrician about a possible 220-volt current. He said he was in a meeting and he would get back to me. After more than four days and no return call, I went to see him. When he saw me, he put his hand to his head, swayed it, and said, "I forgot."

Wednesday and Thursday were the Primary Exit Profile PEP. It was the annual exam for children leaving Primary school. That examination determines which high school they go to. 

As a volunteer, Teacher's Aide, I went there to motivate and encourage them. Many were nervous, and a few were crying because it was a big deal. Their grade will determine whether they get their first choice from the list of high schools they selected. 

There will be more tears when the grades come out in June if they didn't get the school of their choice. I waited until the Math exam finished. 95 percent of them couldn't remember most of the 60-question exam they had just finished less than three minutes ago. 

I question most of them, both boys and girls, and they said, "Miss, I can't remember."

I went back the next day. Their memory was as bad as the day before, and they had a Mental Ability exam to take.

How is that possible? These are supposed to be the future generation. But if they can't recall what they did five minutes ago, what kind of future will they have?

I hear many mothers cursing their younger children, demanding, "What the hell is wrong with your head. How could you forget what I just told you!" 

I can understand the elderly because more than fifty or sixty years of trials, challenges, and tribulations are in their head and lives. But what could prevent an 11, 12, 21, or 25-year-old from not recalling what happened minutes ago?

The painter is forgetting, the mechanic, everyone around me is experiencing hell with their memory. There is no age discrimination here with memory issues. 

I spoke to a 21-year-old female at seven o'clock about giving her a spinach plant. At 7:30 AM, she came, passed me by, and forgot that I was here waiting for her. 

Minutes after making arrangements to pick up stuff, the young man forgot that I was coming. It seems as if the younger generation is forgetting more than the older ones. Aging plays tricks on our memory as we get older because of declining brain cell function. So we have a damn good reason. 

What kind of future is there when these children can't recall what they just did or said? Life isn't lived only in the present; it's lived from our past, too. Imagine forgetting your mistakes!

These children don't have one. But we know many are there. 

What could have caused an 11 or 12-year-old to finish an exam and not recall what they just did? 

Anyone who knows the answer, I am listening. 

My brain is my most valuable asset, and I study it and how it works. I love my brain too and how it works. My heart breaks for these children because I get frustrated when I forget the tiniest thing. 

Thank you for reading this piece. I hope you enjoyed it.