Is America Forgetful? The 25 Nightmares of 2020

Through the course of our lives, we’ve probably all been privy to the wisdom of letting go of the past, and to instead focus towards creating a better future. It’s a concept ingrained in us since birth as we navigated the ups and downs of school pressure, social drama, family roller-coasters, career demands, relationship uncertainties, on and on and on, yet we power through with sincere optimism that the trajectory will be positive tomorrow, that there is never any point “dwelling on the past.” There are a myriad of scientific studies that prove the mental health benefits of having this mindset, but at what point does it cross into delusion when the past is so blatantly ignored? At what point does it even become downright dangerous when we play down the past and treat each day like the grand opening of a business.

“Forgetful” has a definition in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as the “negligent failure to remember.” Is that a symptom of the America psyche? Can America be characterized as forgetful? 2020 has been packed with traumatic events that prove we are far from perfect, that we can be downright wrong and stupid, yet it’s possible that for many people these opportunities to learn are already archived in the remote corners of their brain. Our government, we the people, are doomed to repeat the exact same mistakes because we are negligently failing to remember…