Memories | Teen Ink

Memories

August 8, 2015
By Jtatsu PLATINUM, East Brunswick, New Jersey
Jtatsu PLATINUM, East Brunswick, New Jersey
26 articles 0 photos 77 comments

Memories are little recordings of your life left behind after the real experience has long since ended. Though nowadays most people emphasize living in the now, the today, the present, I think it’s equally as important to hold on to the past, because after all, the past is what truly makes us. No matter how much we delve into the present, there isn’t always going to be a tomorrow in this world. That is one of the many things that we insignificant humans can’t really change. We do not have all the time in the world. We cannot always have a second chance. All our actions of right now builds on our past; of which we will only remember the dregs of our actual effects.

       

Though our entering into this world is arguably one of the most important moments of our lives (that’s why we celebrate our birthdays after all) why is it that so few of us remember it? Why is it that even though we suffer excruciating pain at each and every points of our lives, we only have a dim recollection of it only some time later? It’s sad to think that what might be one of the most important parts of my life may only become a murky mental snapshot of something that had once been so much bigger to me.
       

While writing doesn’t literally immortalize anything (after all, paper is fragile and flammable, and digital work can be just as often lost), it does provide a window into a much younger and more radical mind than anything else I can think of. Though it’s likely different for everyone, I think writing is the closest representation of my mind that I can think of. Just as artists lose themselves in every work of art, photographers let go of a part of themselves in every snapshot they take, musicians freely show their vulnerability and human emotions through their songs, and dancers express their heart and soul in their bodies, writers leave a huge part of themselves in every work they write. And I don’t ever want to forget what was important to me in what used to be the now, the today, and the present. I want to leave behind more than a memory of what I used to be. 


The author's comments:

This came to me at a time when I was feeling discouraged. My writing wasn't coming along very well and I felt like I had done so little in my life that was of actual significance. Eventually, I just decided to just pour out what I was feeling and leave behind a thought that I can look at again in the future. 


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This article has 9 comments.


ellwist SILVER said...
on Aug. 29 2015 at 12:51 am
ellwist SILVER, Surabaya, Other
6 articles 2 photos 85 comments

Favorite Quote:
"They only let you be this happy when they're preparing to take something from you." -Khaled Hosseini, the Kite Runner.

Absolutely fantastic. Though I did felt the first paragraph was starting out rather amateurishly, it was as if you gained confidence with every passing word until the last line utterly smacked me in the head. Great work here!

A-C-Y BRONZE said...
on Aug. 28 2015 at 9:44 pm
A-C-Y BRONZE, New Taipei City, Other
2 articles 0 photos 25 comments
A lovely piece of work! Very inspiring. I enjoyed it a lot, thank you for this! :)

on Aug. 27 2015 at 5:29 pm
Jtatsu PLATINUM, East Brunswick, New Jersey
26 articles 0 photos 77 comments
Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback! I appreciate it so much. :)

on Aug. 27 2015 at 2:26 pm
SkippyPeanutbutter SILVER, Utrecht, Other
9 articles 0 photos 49 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Happiness can be found, even at the darkest of times. If one only remembers to turn on the light." -Albus Dumbledore
"We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?" -the Eleventh Doctor

The only thing I didn't like about it is that it ended! This was beautifully written and conveys a lovely message. It is also super relatable, well done!

on Aug. 25 2015 at 8:01 am
simple_effect SILVER, Franklin Park, New Jersey
6 articles 0 photos 26 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Security is a superstition; it does not exist in nature. Life is either one daring adventure or nothing." ~Helen Keller

Excellent work. The message--although it is used constantly and spoken of even more frequently--you out your own style to it and made it relatable. I am unsure of what the intentions of the piece were, but I almost felt lighthearted after finishing. Great job!

on Aug. 24 2015 at 2:17 pm
CNBono17 SILVER, Rural, South Carolina
5 articles 0 photos 248 comments

Favorite Quote:
Lego ergo sum (Latin—I read, therefore, I am)
The pen is mightier than the sword—unknown
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity—1 Timothy 4:12

Well done, well said, and a fantastic message. Love it, and love the fact that it gets you, down to the core. Many works do that, but rarely with the nostalgic, wistful style you use here. My compliments!

on Aug. 18 2015 at 11:06 pm
Kestrel135 PLATINUM, Waterford, Connecticut
43 articles 0 photos 256 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Respect existence or expect resistance"

Fantastic writing! This piece had me hooked from the start. The ideas behind it are so very human, capturing the essence of why we immortalize the past just as much as why we must anticipate the present. It was deeply intriguing, and I think captures that need to express oneself - who they are, have been, and will be - through art forms of all types, as well as the fear of losing the beauty and vitality of the past. I honestly can't think of a single suggestion for this piece - on a technical level, it was fluent and cohesive. On an emotional one and philosophical one, it hit home:) Well done, and keep writing!

on Aug. 18 2015 at 2:39 pm
theblondechick GOLD, Kingsport, Tennessee
14 articles 0 photos 104 comments

Favorite Quote:
I want to live and feel all the shades, tones, and variations of mental and physical experience possible in life.
And I am horribly limited.
-Sylvia Path

Unique and beautiful. I could relate to as a fellow writer as well as just-a-human-being-trying-to-figure-It-out. I agree with Beila that the last paragraph is beautiful. Very striking. Excellent short piece. Happy writing!

Beila BRONZE said...
on Aug. 17 2015 at 7:19 pm
Beila BRONZE, Palo Alto, California
3 articles 0 photos 516 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." -Mark Twain

I like the idea behind this piece, and the final paragraph is truly beautiful. You're right, of course, about the immortalizing of any memory being impossible. You remind me of John Green's quote in TFIOS in response to a comment after someone died that he would "live forever in our hearts": "That particularly galled me, because it implied the immortality of those left behind: You will live forever in my memory, because I will live forever! I AM YOUR GOD NOW, DEAD BOY! I OWN YOU! Thinking you won't die is yet another side effect of dying." And any resemblance to the great John Green is a massive compliment from me. ;) However, I think a lot of the ideas you share in this piece kind of float around on their own, in a disorganized fashion, and I wish you would have added a little more structure to the first couple of paragraphs to cement this as a cohesive piece. Perhaps, however, you intended to write in a sort of "wispy" style in mimicry of the elusive, intangible nature of memories. In that case, goal accomplished. :) Either way, the piece is unique and lovely. Well done.