Daily Gratitude: “What is remembered is not the event, but the meaning.”

Isn’t this so true? And before you do the “naysayer” thing, I feel the event is important because it stimulates the deeper memory- the meaning.

Think back to all the memories you have, good or bad. If you saw the event on a tv show involving other people, what would that event mean to you then? Would you have the same feelings and emotional response in you? I doubt it.

It’s all about emotions. If you were playing a softball game and you won would you respond in the same way on a day when your life is going well compared to a day when a loved one is sick and in the hospital? I doubt it.

But what’s different. On both days your team won the game. But your response is different because the meaning is different. When someone you love is sick, your attention and your emotions are focused on your loved one, not the game. Does that make sense?

The point of the quote is to help you understand why similar events may not elicit similarly meaningful memories.