Decluttering a Life, Memory by Memory

Some time ago, I had an idea for a story. Well, it’s not a story as much as a concept, or a setup for one. What if, at some point in the future, we have the ability to manipulate our own brains — through science, through some procedure or technology that would allow us to delete something learned, or even better, a memory or series of memories? Items could be chosen from a menu. What would you like to forget: a person, a place, a series of events? A skill, a belief? For example, you could delete all memory of your fourth-grade teacher, a man who belittled you. (I’m making these up.) Or, you could delete the memory of a Lake Powell summer vacation when you were twenty-nine, because during that trip, you accidentally ran over the family dachshund. You might choose to forget altogether about your mother — good and bad — because both types of memories are just too painful. Electing to have a procedure like this would come with a series of waivers and warnings, of course. You should be aware that eliminating that teacher from your memory might also affect other memories from fourth grade. Forgetting that trip to Lake Powell will mean you also forget how to waterski, because that was when you learned. Etc.

Along with memories, we accumulate tangible items throughout our lives. Photographs, letters, certificates, diplomas, records, and all sorts of non-paper objects as well. If you…