Today's song is How High The Moon by Johnny Crawford, released in 1963.

I watched a portion of the 60 Minutes segment, A Pill To Forget? It's a fascinating story of a new use for an existing medication that may help people be less stressed with bothersome memories. As with most "miracle" medicines, there is the downside to their usage.

I think people should be made comfortable with their lives. If they are mentally or emotionally sick from certain traumatic events in their lives, they should be treated. Each person needs to have the right whether they choose to remember traumatic events in their full experience or if they would rather be detached from the reality that took place.

To the extent humanly possible, I try to remember all that happened to me in my life because all of that made me who I am today. If I started messing with my memories, I may lose some of the "protection" I gained from those experiences and make the same mistakes over again. In the next paragraph, I ask some questions that comes to my mind about this emerging potential treatment.

What if I took the new medicine and it removed some of the effects of my enjoyable memories? Should I be trying to flat-line my emotions and mental state? Would I become of victim of life, trying to live in some kind of neutral state of existence? Maybe I would become a lump of jelly without my full intense memories?

I am not judging if someone else felt they needed to use legitimate prescription drugs under a doctor's care to get through rough phases of life. If someone wanted to ease their pain of memories too painful for them, that is their right. Hopefully there would be no harmful side effects to them, to others.

There are people who suffer amnesia. In some cases, amnesia may be a blessing if it prevents the person from remembering traumatic times in their life. But amnesia can also prevent good memories from being recollected too. A person afflicted with amnesia may be prevented from understanding their true nature or why they behave the way they do.

Some people with amnesia freak out when exposed to the past they have forgotten. Just the fact that they freak out suggests to me that the lessons of life during that forgotten period are not available to them. Maybe they are tranquil with amnesia or maybe nightmares frequent their sleep. Is there anything to learn from those that have amnesia and the effects it has on them and people that know them in life?

The answers to my questions are likely too profound for me to understand, I am not trained as a medical practitioner. Even those that are trained may not be able to answer.

It is my fortune that I remember the good and the bad times of my life. I did spend time reconciling difficult parts of my life and I am so much better for that effort. I now understand where before I didn't. I no longer question who I am.

I don't think I could ever have reached those insights if I had taken prescription drugs to ease my path. I'm happy I don't suffer from amnesia, that I can make amends to situations or people I affected during my life. I can make restitution to my soul debts because whether or not I remember them, they are still owed until repaid.

I am still learning in life. I want all my important memories to stay resident in my mind as long as I am a viable person. It's hard enough not to repeat mistakes of the past, to not hurt people again. My intact memories help me and without them I would be less than my full potential as a human being.

As with many tough topics, I realize each person's mileage may vary.

Don