Shed the old, make way for new

Case for Forgetting

Human memory does not work like that of a computer’s. Computer memory stays exactly as is, in a specific spot without mingling with other data. On the other hand, human memories drift, compete and complement each other. The fact that we forget or have holes in our recollection forces us to creatively fill in the blanks to form a cohesive narrative. And this is a superpower.

In my previous two posts I was harping about how remembering is a prerequisite for mastery in one’s field of interest. However, I want to make the case that ‘forgetting’ is another toolkit in our arsenal to achieve mastery. Of course, we need to ‘remember’ to have a strong foundation and to build on this foundation, but we also need to forget. Here’s why:

Emotional Recovery

Remember what each instance teaches you but forget enough that you are emotionally distant from it. It is often said that the greatest athletes have amnesia. They quickly forget a missed point or attempt and move on to the next point. Novak Djokovic, in his interview on the Jay Shetty podcast [1], said that he has more negative and challenging thoughts and emotions than every other Tom, Dick and Harry but what makes him different is that he does not dwell on them for long. This is something he has trained for. The man behind Dyson, James Dyson, perfected and was able to manufactur the first Dyson vacuum cleaner after 15 years and 5,127 different prototypes. During this time Dyson wrote that “By 2,627, my wife and I were really counting our pennies. “By 3,727, my wife was giving art lessons for some extra cash.” [2] Surely, he must have learnt from his mistakes and remembered them but he let go of the emotional sting of failure.

Fresh Perspective

J.K. Rowling was living on welfare as a single mother when she wrote Harry Potter. She was rejected by 12 publications and in her own words she ‘had failed on an epic scale’[3]. And it is reasonable to assume that this is an ‘epic’ failure. But she flipped the narrative. Her fresh perspective was that “Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” J.K. Rowling, shed her old self and adopted a new perspective. She had to forget her past self and keep forging ahead with the big idea she had.

Galileos heliocentric universe, Darwin’s theory of natural selection, Semmelweis’s hand washing and several other breakthrough discoveries required one to forget the old and make way for new.

Adapt to Changing world

The world is changing faster than ever before. The days when one acquired a college degree that guaranteed a stable, unchaning job are long gone. One needs to constantly adapt and allow transfer of skills between different domains. Critical thinking, foundational knowledge with a strong web of association and things that bring you ‘awe’ will remain constant. But if there is something that does not work, then you need to forget fast and move on.

Kill the Noise

I call this the ‘Oakham’s razor’ purpose of forgetting. You need curiosity and an emotional tug to remember something. So if you forget, there’s likely a good chance you don’t care and that thing you forgot should no longer be a part of the bigger picture.

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We do not remember like computers and should not try to do so. We forget so that we can keep moving forward and make way for new. The holes in our memory are not mistakes but opportunities for novelty. The tussle between remembering and forgetting is the milieu for growth and creativity.

References

[1] Djokovic on negative thoughts

[2] James Dyson on 5,126 vacuums that didn't work - and the one that finally did

[3] J.K. Rowling Harvard Commencement Speech | Harvard University Commencement 2008

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