IT MIGHT BE 2010 BUT IT'S REALLY 1984

PAINTING BY JOHN REGISTER

~~~~~~I've read a couple of articles in the last few months which state that scientists will soon be able to erase bad memories. I don't see this as the good thing which they're hailing it to be. Perhaps I read "Brave New World" at too young of an age and took it to heart, and maybe my political science minor has caused me to cast a jaundiced eye upon how the government runs. Whatever the reason, I find myself humming "l984" by David Bowie.

``````Humanity has always endured horrific events; we're not a kind lot. The papers might decry the most recent crime, but it pales in comparison to what went on during the Inquisition or daily life for the unfortunate hundreds of years ago. Think of the fate of those in slave galley ships or children who worked in mines. It's only in recent years that we've had to call in grief counsellors to help us deal with loss.

`````What will become of us if we wipe the slate clean every time something bad happens? It's a famous adage but it's certainly true: Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it. That is why the people who lived through the camps of World War Two said "never again." In no way did they want to forget, because the world would then be only too willing to forget.

`````Each one of us is defined by everything that's happened---good and bad. We learn from it and we choose to become better people or to do evil. With this new wonder drug, we are doomed to being automatons. We'd become the walking, talking incarnations of what the entertainment industry has become; a bland reproduction with zero originality.

`````My pain allows me to empathize with others. It won't let me walk by when I witness an accident. I can never join in and engage in picking on others, as I understand how it feels.

`````I could joke about the political ramifications of such a drug too. Here, have a drink of this before you walk into the polling booth and forget about the deficit and the last four years of hell. This is one medication that makes all of those late night talk shows seem scary and accurate when the host mentions com-trails.

`````Just because science can do something doesn't mean that it should be allowed to do so. Who's going to control this? Would anybody want something like this to fall into the hands of a manipulative person who's an abuser? It would be carte-blanche to continue with the behavior.

`````It will be interesting to see how freely such items will be prescribed should they be made available. It scares the crap out of me.