The Brain Paradox Poem by Paul Hartal

If you tend to forget tiny details,
or, perhaps, larger particulars,
you share a common trait with many.
Forgetfulness is quite a normal
phenomenon and usually not an early
symptom of cognitive impairment.

Although the brain is a splendid computer,
it fails to excel as a recalling machine.
As a matter of fact, it has a bad memory.
Its poor recording ability allows the brain
to become a unique self-organizing
and self-maximizing system.

The average human brain contains
about 100 billion neurons, or nerve cells.
Learning new things involves brain cells
in the hippocampus, a region of gray matter
tissue in the medial temporal lobe.
By learning new things hippocampus cells
erase old memories. This allows us to adapt
to new situations.

It seems that the aim of memory is to make
optimal decisions, to work out the best
strategies for advancement and survival,
by choosing what is important
and discarding what is not.

Thus, our master organ
is a paradoxical device,
which by forgetting things
actually enhances our
cognitive faculties and allows us
to become smarter.