Forgetting to Remember

Many of us can look back on out formative years with great fondness. We were surrounded by people who looked after us, taught us, and provided the values and socialization needed to succeed in the modern world. Others met our most basic needs, and we were completely dependent. Remembrance of people and past events plays an important part in many religions and cultures. Some light candles and offers up prayers. Special days are set aside as memorials or celebrations of lives past. This occurs both in the East and West, and some of the ceremonies are quite similar in content, despite differences in language and culture. This is universally acknowledged as a way of paying homage. More than simply marking the calendar, however, we mark our hearts when we think back to fond memories of people we