Thursday, February 27, 2020

Week 9- Sidney Siu

Sidney Siu
ASA 150E
Week 9

Memory is a tricky thing. There is so much more to memory than just remembering a past action. In Viet Nguyen's Chapter of Nothing Ever Dies, Just Forgetting, she discusses the ways in which memory essentially has two categories and within those two categories are subcategories. The two categories involve remembering and forgetting. She notes that both have cycles that are just and unjust. For example, an unjust cycle of forgetting may be when one leaves their past (intentionally ignoring it) behind without dealing with it in "adequate ways." Another example is how a memory can be so painful, or fatal even, that we force ourselves to reconcile, such as the saying "forgive and forget" or "forgive, but never forget."
Every situation is different, however, I choose to "forgive, but never forget" in most. I believe in the process of healing by forgiving and making amends, but I usually never allow myself to ignore the trauma that one might have inflicted on me. Oppositely, Nguyen's example of international peace treaties-- countries agreeing to be "friends" without acknowledging the history of violence behind them-- is an extreme, yet notable analogy of "forgive and forget." This unjust type of forgetting is problematic because billions of lives have been impacted and continue to release trauma to future generations due to the consequences of war. So, simply leaving the past (of war) behind is unrealistic.  So, do nations really "forgive and forget" after calling truce?

Image result for nation peace treaty shaking hands cartoon

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