Institute-Marksman Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 (edited) I only just thought of this, but I wanted to have your opinion on it: Do we age because of the knowledge we have?I'm talking about the mental aging process, not the physical one. Both are intertwined, but that's besides the point.Our entire lifespan, we accumulate knowledge, regardless of whether we really need it or not. But this knowledge must be something our minds can access, somehow. A memory is like a box of experiences. Every one of them requires a key to open. But our key chain isn't that secure, and only the keys we use most remain visible. The ones we use less fall deeper into the pile of keys, because we don't use them(as often). Now heres the theory: We never really lose our memory, but we can lose the key to it, which can be a sound, a smell, a phrase, a feeling, any sort of experience. And each memory we have weighs us down. Even the ones we lost the key to, we drag along.My question to you is: Do we age, mentally, because of the knowledge we have? The things we have experienced, the memories that reside within us? I mean, everything has mass, no matter it's size.I think that this might be true. And that memory loss(amnesia) isn't losing the memory itself, but the keys to it. We age and eventually die(you can be healthy and sane), because our minds can quite literally not continue dragging on all these memories?Your views and opinions on this theory are greatly appreciated. Edited November 8, 2015 by Institute-Marksman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towermice Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 Mentally ill people age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverlordMcGeek Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 Ignore the physical? You do realize that the mind is stored in a bunch of grey pus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rapt0rman Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 (edited) Yes, we are organic meat-bag computers that start with what we are given, and accumulate experiences from there. Mentally ill people age. All people age physically, mentally ill people (depending on the exact condition, of course) don't age mentally. Edited November 8, 2015 by rapt0rman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YouHaveShamedYoFamory Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 question answered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magneu Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 It's being said that the brain has an amazing potential to store information, but our retrieval systems is like throwing a bunch of papers on the ground and rolling around on them, hoping to get the right one. In addition, our retrieval system works by us recalling the circumstance of the time we last had that memory; ergo, we lose memories the more times we recall them, as more and more extraneous information is added. So yes, we mentally age not because we lose our memories, but because we lose the ability to accurately retrieve them. A person with Alzheimer's disease will still posses their memories; they just can't access them with any dependability. This is only what I've gathered online in the past, so it's highly likely it's inaccurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aoguro Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 (edited) I only just thought of this, but I wanted to have your opinion on it: Do we age because of the knowledge we have? I'm talking about the mental aging process, not the physical one. Both are intertwined, but that's besides the point. Our entire lifespan, we accumulate knowledge, regardless of whether we really need it or not. But this knowledge must be something our minds can access, somehow. A memory is like a box of experiences. Every one of them requires a key to open. But our key chain isn't that secure, and only the keys we use most remain visible. The ones we use less fall deeper into the pile of keys, because we don't use them(as often). Now heres the theory: We never really lose our memory, but we can lose the key to it, which can be a sound, a smell, a phrase, a feeling, any sort of experience. And each memory we have weighs us down. Even the ones we lost the key to, we drag along. My question to you is: Do we age, mentally, because of the knowledge we have? The things we have experienced, the memories that reside within us? I mean, everything has mass, no matter it's size. I think that this might be true. And that memory loss(amnesia) isn't losing the memory itself, but the keys to it. We age and eventually die(you can be healthy and sane), because our minds can quite literally not continue dragging on all these memories? Your views and opinions on this theory are greatly appreciated. its called lifeexpirience ... that makes us grow, and without mistakes we dont learn anything everything else is useless i for myself learn through insight and understanding Edited November 8, 2015 by DUR4NDAL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-Shadowblade Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 It's being said that the brain has an amazing potential to store information, but our retrieval systems is like throwing a bunch of papers on the ground and rolling around on them, hoping to get the right one. From my personal experience I can say that analogy is perfectly accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SillyCowsy Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 (edited) The way I see it, we mentally age because we have the ability to remember...lose that and well... Years of dreaming, drowned in a flood of fear and greedPrecious heritage laid waste before the chainsaws' snarling teethAnd still we wonder whyAs the ground beneath our feet turns to dustThe air we breathe; laced with poisonsA legacy of disgustA legacy of sorrowSo we're born with nothing and we die aloneRegret is all we haveDeath is all we know Forever #*($%%@. Dunno about you all but the first thing I'm doing when I meet my demise is asking a dead-man how it feels to be mentally sound. Edited November 8, 2015 by Laisha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bejuizb Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 I think it's a mix of both knowledge and experiences with other people, not just our own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freelancer27 Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 On par with the alien races in fiction, yes. Our race ages along on how we progress with our technology and culture. Nobody says how immature we can become when we get old though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(PSN)Pharen Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 no Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freelancer27 Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 no I rest my case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artekkor Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 (edited) Answer to OP - yes. Memory is what shapes us. Everything that happend to you, everything that you went through - it stays with you, changes the way you see things, the way you react to them. Example - phobias. They are rarely just appear out of nowhere. People tend to fear dogs because they were attacked by one in the past, especially as a kid. Such things leave a scar on your personality, forever changing it. You don't have to remember it all the time - it's just stays there, somewhere. Edited November 9, 2015 by Artek94 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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