How many things have I forgotten that, in the moment, I claimed I would never forget? It is vanishingly unlikely that the number is “zero,” given the mercurial nature of our memories. What then, causes the seemingly smallest of moments to stand as edifices for our mind’s entire earthly duration?
The small moments matter, because you cannot know how memory will weigh each moment in its fullness. Once or twice in a lifetime might you stand in the monumental fullness of a pivotal fork in destiny’s path and yet be fully aware of it. The rest of the time, you either think you are or think you aren’t, and are wrong in both cases.
The sense that any moment you occupy might in fact be your sole avatar in the memories of others may seem like a crushing burden, but it need not be. It’s simply a reminder to be consistent in your honor. You need live up only to yourself to have the full arc of memory curve in your favor. Much may be forgotten, but you never know in advance exactly what. Act accordingly.
The Opportunity Machine 