Forget me not

A while ago I read the anti-war novel All Quiet On The Western Front. It's about the perils of war, faced by young Germans, during the first world war. The book touched on a phenomenon I found to be quite interesting. When the soldiers were stationed on the front lines and had to engage in trench warfare, their experiences tended to be horrific, to say the least. Then when they got rotated to other parts, where there was no conflict, they would simply forget all the horrific events they had just gone through. If what happened on the front lines, followed them immediately into the rest of the barracks, they would not be able to function in any other capacity.  

The ability to forget is one that is quite fascinating. It's as though the brain can delete certain bits of information, and continue as though nothing ever happened. The down side to it is that, it is not in our control as to what we can forget, or unfortunately how much we can forget. Imagine getting to forget your favorite films and getting to experience them again for the first time. Forgetting sure is a nifty disappearing act when you get to forget embarrassing or unpleasant experiences. 

Remembering on the other hand can be such a nag. I think about the case of the apostle Thomas. Better known as "doubting" Thomas, when we get to heaven, I really do not know how he'll appreciate the moniker he earned. He only doubted once and everyone remembers him or it, yet Peter denied the Lord thrice, and somehow does not get the title of denier. Somethings just tend to stick in your head unfortunately. I know in my case there is an unnecessary amount of trivia, that I can never insert into small talk without sounding strange.On the other hand if you asked me what I had for lunch last Wednesday, I could hardly tell you what I ate. 

Being remembered can be quite precious. It means in the vast array of your memory slots. There is space for me where bits about me are stored, and you can retrieve this information, when forgetting is so easy to do. Being forgotten is so dejecting, it can have you asking whether the other person cares abut you or not. It's that sour taste in your mouth, when you come across a post online, seeing the whole friend group out together without you. On the contrary I find it extremely sweet when people catch on to minute details and considerately act upon them. People who take it to heart to learn and remember about those around them are gems. 

 There is a beauty to being forgettable. For instance when people talk about Frankenstein. It's almost always about the monster and not about the doctor who created him. Many people chase immortality by coming up with new ideas, that may carry their name long after they are gone. Others however, end up having done a deed so great, that the action they took outshines, any memory of the one who actually did it. It's something I have slowly come to desire, which has taken quite a change in heart, the desire to be forgettable. If you asked me at seven, what I wanted to grow up to become, among many other things being an inventor was one of them. The allure to be famous was something that appealed to my young mind, especially for coming up with something new. Now, I have taken a u-turn of sorts. 

If you asked me that same question about what I want grow up to become. Conventionally the question may be too late to ask me. Among man other things, hopefully what would stand out is, to preach Christ die and be forgotten. In light of the message of the gospel I would gladly lay aside any notion of legacy. The weight of what the message of Jesus means, far outweighs anything I would like recognition for. What blessedness there is in the fact that I could be anonymous, for the sake of the name of my savior being made known.