# A memory is what is left when something happens and does not completely unhappen.



## Florentino dingding

Hi,everybody.

I saw this celebrated dictum *A memory is what is left when something happens and does not completely unhappen( by Edward De Bono)* when I was watching ABO TV series_ Criminal Minds_ season 8.

 My questions:

1.what does this sentence mean? ( I mean the philosophy meaning in it, not just translation.)

2.Is *happen* equal to *does not completely unhappen *in this sentence? (I can't see a difference between them)

Can anybody explain it to me?


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## Sanchuan

1、那个句子是指只要是没有完全忘记的事情，它就算是记忆
2、从上下文来看，unhappen应该是忘得一干二净的意思。为什么这么说呢？因为名言里的措辞，最多的是转弯抹角的，所以，真实的意思只能从联想才可以推演出来。对我来说，unhappen的联想就是全忘这个意思，就是说，unhappen让我想起来as if it never happened这样子的话，可以用来表示忘掉过去，别再提了，别再想了，别把恍如隔世的事放在心上。
因此寓意大概是：如果往昔完全忘了，好像根本就没有这回事，那就往事如风，记忆也所剩无几。反过来说，如果往昔没有完全忘了，尚未遗忘，那剩下来的就是回忆。名言毕竟都是同义反复嘛。


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## SimonTsai

I have the impression that _unhappen_ usually implies that the happening of something is reverted, ignored, or concealed. For example, 'I wish that those bad things between us could unhappen.' Or, 'Whatever happened, happened, and cannot unhappen.' But it seems that in that celebrated dictim that you quoted, it does not imply the reversion of something or ignoring something, or concealing something, but it simply means the fading away of a memory about something that has factually happened.


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## Florentino dingding

Sanchuan said:


> 1、那个句子是指只要是没有完全忘记的事情，它就算是记忆
> 2、从上下文来看，unhappen应该是忘得一干二净的意思。为什么这么说呢？因为名言里的措辞，最多的是转弯抹角的，所以，真实的意思只能从联想才可以推演出来。对我来说，unhappen的联想就是全忘这个意思，就是说，unhappen让我想起来as if it never happened这样子的话，可以用来表示忘掉过去，别再提了，别再想了，别把恍如隔世的事放在心上。
> 因此寓意大概是：如果往昔完全忘了，好像根本就没有这回事，那就往事如风，记忆也所剩无几。反过来说，如果往昔没有完全忘了，尚未遗忘，那剩下来的就是回忆。名言毕竟都是同义反复嘛。


我觉得你说的很有道理，我看到这句话的时候就觉得它肯定有某种文学上的隐喻，只是我不知道如何去理解这个unhappen的意思，以至于我更加无法去理解它更深层的文学意义和蕴含其中的哲理。不过经过你解释后我就清楚多了，谢谢！



SimonTsai said:


> I have the impression that _unhappen_ usually implies that the happening of something is reverted, ignored, or concealed. For example, 'I wish that those bad things between us could unhappen.' Or, 'Whatever happened, happened, and cannot unhappen.' But it seems that in that celebrated dictim that you quoted, it does not imply the reversion of something or ignoring something, or concealing something, but it simply means the fading away of a memory about something that has factually happened.


Wait，I couldn't get what you said about the other meanings of unhappen.I noticed that you and Sanchuan have the same opinion about the meaning of unhappen in this particular celebrated dictum.But I couldn't understand why unhappen could mean reverted,ignored or consealed.我查了一下，reverted是恢复，consealed是隐藏的，可是我不理解为啥unhappen有这些意思。I do understand your first example'I wish that those bad things between us could unhappen.'but is it a subjunctive mood? so unhappen could remain its original meaning,I don't see a link between unhappen and its other meanings.Can you explain it more specific to me?
Thanks a lot for answering my question!
l learned many things.



Florentino dingding said:


> Wait，I couldn't get what you said about the other meanings of unhappen.I noticed that you and Sanchuan have the same opinion about the meaning of unhappen in this particular celebrated dictum.But I couldn't understand why unhappen could mean reverted,ignored or consealed.我查了一下，reverted是恢复，consealed是隐藏的，可是我不理解为啥unhappen有这些意思。I do understand your first example'I wish that those bad things between us could unhappen.'but is it a subjunctive mood? so unhappen could remain its original meaning,I don't see a link between unhappen and its other meanings.Can you explain it more specific to me?
> Thanks a lot for answering my question!
> l learned many things.


sorry,不是unhappen的意思是reverted和consealed，而是something reverted and consealed happens.我不理解的点在于“unhappen的意思是一些恢复的和隐藏的事情发生了”，直译过来真的使我无法理解，第二个例子我也不是很懂。求教！


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## skating-in-bc

Florentino dingding said:


> I couldn't understand why unhappen could mean reverted


*A memory is what is left *(in the brain) *when something happens *(and as a result triggers the information-storing function of the hippocampus) *and *(when it) *does not completely* *unhappen *(= undo itself, that is, reverse its effect on the brain, from data-storing to data-unstoring or -erasing). 記憶是腦海沒能完全拭去的殘留物.

A repressed, blocked, or long-forgotten memory is still a memory stored in the brain. Infantile amnesia (e.g., "I have _no memory _of my father, who passed away when I was only two."), however, is literally "no memory" because it has been "_unstored_" (i.e., erased).


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## Florentino dingding

skating-in-bc said:


> *A memory is what is left *(in the brain) *when something happens *(and as a result triggers the information-storing function of the hippocampus) *and *(when it) *does not completely* *unhappen *(= undo itself, that is, reverse its effect on the brain, from data-storing to data-unstoring or -erasing). 記憶是腦海沒能完全拭去的殘留物.
> 
> A repressed, blocked, or long-forgotten memory is still a memory stored in the brain. Infantile amnesia (e.g., "I have _no memory _of my father, who passed away when I was only two."), however, is literally "no memory" because it has been "_unstored_" (i.e., erased).


I got it！！！
so unhanppen basically means erase here（I tried to understand it simply ）.If so, I Know why Simon said unhappen means something reverted,ignored or consealed happens.The *something *here actually refers to the memory.That does make sense.回忆是已发生事件的产物，也是未完全抹去记忆的残留物。

Thank you！I completely understand what does that celebrated dictum mean now.


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## SimonTsai

Florentino dingding said:


> 而是 something reverted and consealed happens. 我不理解的点在于 “unhappen 的意思是一些恢复的和隐藏的事情发生了”，


Oh, that is not what I meant.

[...] {the happening of something} + is + {reverted, ignored, or concealed}. (source: post #3)​
Revert ==> To travel back in time and prevent it from happening.
Ignore ==> To lie to yourself that it did not happen.
Conceal ==> To hide its happening from other people.


> 第二个例子我也不是很懂。求教！


Whatever happened, happened, and cannot unhappen.

不管甚麼事，發生了就是發生了，你沒辦法回到過去讓它不要發生。


> 'I wish that those bad things between us could unhappen.' but is it a subjunctive mood?


Yes, it is in the subjunctive mood, since the speaker knows that his wish cannot be fulfilled.


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## Florentino dingding

SimonTsai said:


> Oh, that is not what I meant.
> 
> [...] {the happening of something} + is + {reverted, ignored, or concealed}. (source: post #3)​
> Revert ==> To travel back in time and prevent it from happening.
> Ignore ==> To lie to yourself that it did not happen.
> Conceal ==> To hide its happening from other people.
> 
> Whatever happened, happened, and cannot unhappen.
> 
> 不管甚麼事，發生了就是發生了，你沒辦法回到過去讓它不要發生。
> 
> Yes, it is in the subjunctive mood, since the speaker knows that his wish cannot be fulfilled.


Thank you.I misunderstood your explanation.I didn’t think of these meanings of words.I just tried to comprehend them with shallow direct translation.Your explanation is very clear though.Thanks again!


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## skating-in-bc

Florentino dingding said:


> The *something *here actually refers to the memory.


That's not what I meant though.  I meant: An event happens and triggers memory formation in one's brain. ==> "Something" refers to a stimulus (i.e., a thing or event that evokes a specific functional reaction in an organ).


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## Florentino dingding

Florentino dingding said:


> Hi,everybody.
> 
> I saw this celebrated dictum *A memory is what is left when something happens and does not completely unhappen( by Edward De Bono)* when I was watching ABO TV series_ Criminal Minds_ season 8.
> 
> My questions:
> 
> 1.what does this sentence mean? ( I mean the philosophy meaning in it, not just translation.)
> 
> 2.Is *happen* equal to *does not completely unhappen *in this sentence? (I can't see a difference between them)
> 
> Can anybody explain it to me?





skating-in-bc said:


> That's not what I meant though.  I meant: An event happens and triggers memory formation in one's brain. ==> "Something" refers to a stimuli (i.e., a thing or event that evokes a specific functional reaction in an organ).


Oh, yes. There's some grammar misunderstanding in my comprehension. you are right, the something here should refer to a stimuli that makes memories reverted, ignored or consealed. Do I get it correctly ? Can those words *reverted , ignored and consealed *modify the subject *memory* ?


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## skating-in-bc

Florentino dingding said:


> There's some grammar misunderstanding in my comprehension.


I don't blame you.  My previous post (#5) wasn't well written.

Let me try again:
unhappen: to cease to have any effect as if it never happened


> I wish everything that happened between us could unhappen.


I wish everything that happened between us could cease to have any effect on our relationship (so that we can start over with a clean slate).


> ...when something happens and does not completely unhappen


...when something (e.g., an event or stimulus) happens and (this event or stimulus) does not completely cease to have any effect (on one's brain). 

In order to "cease to have any effect", all of its effects have to be "reverted" (i.e., The associated memory stored in the brain has to be unstored/erased).


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## Florentino dingding

skating-in-bc said:


> I don't blame you.  My previous post (#5) wasn't well written.
> 
> Let me try again:
> unhappen: to cease to have any effect as if it never happened
> 
> I wish everything that happened between us could cease to have any effect on our relationship (so that we can start over with a clean slate).
> 
> ...when something (e.g., an event or stimulus) happens and (this event or stimulus) does not completely cease to have any effect (on one's brain).
> 
> In order to "cease to have any effect", all of its effects have to be "reverted" (i.e., The associated memory stored in the brain has to be unstored/erased).


Ok.Thanks for explaining it to me again. I know what you are trying to say now , but please let me explain to you the reason why I think unhappen means erase here. When there is an event or stimulus which has effects on your brain, the effects are already caused. The only way to make it stop affecting you is erasing the memory of that event or stimulus, which means pretending that thing never happened or completely forget about it, in other words, making the event or stimulus  reverted, ignored or consealed. You defined unhappen as stop having effects on one's brain, but what about the effects that has already caused ? So you can only remove the effects completely by erasing the memory, which means making it *unhappen. *I guess I have already understood the meaning of this celebrated dictum, so let's pass that question. Thank you all for helping me !


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