Is it to store? Or create?
Is it a warehouse? Or a factory?
Is it there to collect and organise? Or to synthesise and invent?
Well, hopefully both. But as we outsource memory to our phones and computers, it’s worth thinking about how you’re optimising for creation. As we get older we tend to focus on what we’ve stopped remembering. But I think in reality it’s what we’ve stopped creating that leads to the real damage.
The only reason we have memories is to help us know how to act in the future. So if your present and future don’t require anything new, those memories that are taking up valuable resources, will slowly fade away. Maybe keeping our memory intact is less about crossword puzzles and flash cards, and more about doodling and skydiving.
It’s just a theory, but by incorporating past knowledge into new endeavours, I believe we can maintain our memories. Because each time we create something, try something uncomfortable or meet someone new, we breathe new life into those memories.