Not Remembering is a Gift. (3 min 50 sec)

In the world of time and space, memory serves as the fuel that keeps the illusion alive. It binds us to the past, perpetuating the cycle of guilt, fear, and suffering. The ego thrives on the past, weaving it into our identity, so we believe we are defined by what has been. But if memory were wiped clean, where is the pain? Where is the guilt? Without the chains of memory, heinous crimes lose their grip on our consciousness.

The Present Moment: The Gift

Through the eyes of the Spirit, only the present moment is real. All that’s outside of this — memories, projections, judgments — is the ego’s construct, a dream. Crimes, no matter how horrendous, only have power over us when we choose to replay them in our minds.

Here’s the punch: memory keeps the wound open. The act, however horrible, is gone in the instant it’s committed. It’s the ego’s incessant recall that makes the pain linger. Your attention in the present dissolves the illusion’s power.

Heinous Crimes

Let’s take some examples of notorious crimes. Without memory of Fred and Rose West’s brutal acts or the Holocaust, how can they cause suffering? They’re gone, vanished in time. But when we remember them, we judge, blame, and seethe with hatred, perhaps even calling for vengeance. And what happens? We become the thing we despise.

Memory anchors us in the belief that these crimes are real, ongoing, and part of who we are as a society. It’s the replaying that hurts, not the crime itself — the ego keeps it alive, and by keeping our focus there, we prolong our own suffering.

The Ego’s Hold

The ego whispers, “Remember! Blame! Judge! Call them monsters!” But here’s the truth: the judgment doesn’t change a thing. The act is over, the pain exists only in the story we retell ourselves. Fred and Rose West are dead. Their acts don’t continue unless we keep them alive in our minds. When we remember, we invite the ego to make us complicit, becoming the thing we loathe. We mirror the hatred, becoming murderers in our thoughts, perpetuating the cycle of violence.

The Beauty Hidden in Tragedy

ACIM teaches that, from a higher perspective, there’s beauty in all things — even atrocities — when seen through the eyes of Love. This doesn’t mean justifying crimes; it means transcending them. Forgiveness isn’t about pardoning bad behavior but about seeing past the illusion to the Truth that remains untouched by any worldly act.

The truth is, the acts of these murderers, rapists, and terrorists are projections of a fragmented mind. They’re shadows on the wall of Plato’s cave — unreal in the grand scheme of Spirit. To focus on them, to let memory drag us through the muck, is to stay in the cave, in the darkness. But to let go, to forget, is to step into the light.

Alzheimer’s and Memory: The Paradox

Now, Alzheimer’s brings an interesting twist. As memories fade, people feel the loss of self-identity. Society teaches that memory defines us — without it, we "don’t exist." But the self we think we are is the illusion. Forgetting is not loss, but freedom from the past’s tyranny. The irony is that while the world pities those with dementia for their fading memories, ACIM would suggest that perhaps they are closer to waking from the dream.

In the movie "The Notebook," there’s a romanticism about holding onto memories, yet it’s precisely this clinging that creates the emotional pain. Allie’s loss of memory is painted as tragic, but what if it’s liberation? When she forgets, she’s no longer burdened by the past. It’s Noah’s insistence on reminding her of their shared history that causes the suffering.

Where ACIM Meets Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s is a metaphor for the ultimate ACIM lesson: the past is gone. What is it to mourn the loss of memories, when those memories are the very chains that keep us bound to the illusion? In the highest sense, forgetting is freedom.

One More Thing:

Here’s the twist — if we forget, does the crime, the pain, the atrocity vanish? In a very real sense, yes. The world tells us that to forget is to lose our humanity, but ACIM tells us the opposite: to forget is to reclaim our divine Self.

Without memory, what’s left? Only the Present. And what is the Present? It’s the gift of peace, untouched by the horrors of the past, and immune to the anxieties of the future.

So, not remembering is more than just a gift — it’s a return to our true nature, beyond the dream of time and space.

#thinkgod
I am sorry.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
I love you.