when i was 21 years old, i was asked what i would change about my life, if i could go back into the past. i answered with certainty i wouldn't change a thing. life was good and always had been; even the bad memories had heavy silver and even gold linings that made them valuable.
since then, i've been through some experiences that would make me hesitate if i were asked this question again. i can no longer say that all of my experiences are net positive. like most people, along the way i've made some bad decisions along with the good ones and experienced things i'd rather forget.
or would i? given the chance, would i erase any memories from my past? i always feel i regret the opportunities i pass up more than the mistakes i make actively, and other than a handful of exceptions, this has held true so far. but even those active mistakes and bad memories, once far enough past, hold valuable lessons. and without the bad, how can you recognize the fantastic?
"eternal sunshine of the spotless mind" is a line from alexander pope's poem "eloisa to abelard:"
"How happy is the blameless Vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd."
the film (whose title i found impossible to remember until seeing the movie and getting some context) is about a couple who pay to erase the memories from their soured relationship. the process of trying to erase the past helps them see it in a new light. for me, the film forced memories of the past and a certain appreciation for the present.
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