Core Argument - Forgetting is not a mental glitch but an essential function for memory and survival, enabling healing and growth [4][24][25][26][27][28] - Adaptive forgetting allows individuals to let go of overwhelming pain, facilitating the ability to remember with fondness rather than constant grief [24][25][29] - The brain prioritizes forgetting as its default state, requiring more effort for memory consolidation [26] Alzheimer's and Memory Loss Impact - Alzheimer's is a significant health concern, affecting 55 million people worldwide and being the seventh leading cause of death in the USA [5] - Memory loss, particularly due to Alzheimer's, can devastate families by erasing personal connections and causing emotional distress [19] - The speaker's personal experience with a family member's Alzheimer's highlights the profound impact of memory loss [7][8][9][12][13][18] Emotional Resilience - Forgetting can soften the impact of traumatic events, allowing individuals to cope with loss and depression [20][29] - The speaker's mother's experience demonstrates how forgetting can help in moving forward after significant loss [20][21][22][23] - Remembering is about retaining the essence of relationships and experiences, not every detail [30][31]

[Applause] If you lost your memories tomorrow, what parts of yourself would still remain. Who would hold your stories for you. And more importantly, who decides what is remembered.We think of memory as something personal, something internal. But memory is also connection. It's about how we make sense of ourselves.And it's how we give the people we love a mirror back to their own story. Without our memories and our stories, what's left. A timeline, a medical record, a box of pictures with names we can't quit ...