Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind

How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd;


This is a segment of the poem, 'Eloisa to Alebard', by Alexander Pope. Yes, if you find the name familiar, just as I did, you are right. It's the same Alexander Pope who buried Issac Newton, as mentioned by Dan Brown in his atrociously un-historical (mis)work called the 'Da Vinci Code'. It's a beautiful segment, my fav segment of the whole poem (or rather, the only segment which I bothered to appreciate).

But it's a segment which attempts to discuss a larger issue at hand. Will we be ever abe to forget what we have gone through, to obtain a 'spotless mind'? Let's say today, I wanna erase whatever memory I have after 10/12/2005, then what will I be? Obviously, the Huanyan on 29/08/2006 is not the Huanyan on 10/12/2006 (I couldn't write this sort of thing in my IVLE forum). If I'm going to 'forget' whatever I have done and gone through after 10/12/2006, then what am I? Can I really imagine myself in that circumstances? Of course, the obvious answer is that I can't imagine, and obviously I will never wanna erase my memories, not even those before 10/12/2006. Perhaps the issue here is not about forgetting, but about spotless mind. Does forgetting really brings about a spotless mind? Forgetting is just cleaning up the surface, and the surface will still get dirty again. The ultimate detergent, to obtain a spotless mind, is free. My conclusion on this matter: the answer to this question lies in the cross, this I believe (but I still can't write this in my IVLE forum).

I just wonder, if I have forgotten that I have saved, will I still be considered being saved?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Parable of the 'Good Samaritan'

Of Teaching and Learning

Of Exegesis, Wedding Preparation and the Whole Lot of Things: Another Reflection