“Humans are happy creatures because they can forget.”

This is a phrase my math teacher taught me when I was a student. At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but in today’s world, where information constantly floods us, I deeply feel the weight of these words. This isn’t just a philosophical question; it’s an extremely practical wisdom for maintaining mental and physical health and having the space to think in this information society.

Every day, we are exposed to an enormous amount of information: work tasks, news, social media and app notifications, personal notes. If we tried to remember everything, our brains would quickly become overwhelmed.

Here, “intentionally forgetting” can be seen as a skill that can be learned. To forget with peace of mind, there must be a trust that we can “recall it anytime.” “Forgetting” and “recalling when needed” are two sides of the same coin, and creating a “system” for this is essential.

The simplest and most powerful practical example of this is the act of writing a diary or a notebook.

Writing down thoughts and information from your mind. This act itself is a process of detaching information from the brain and consciously “forgetting” it. However, simply writing it down is not enough. If you need that information later, it’s meaningless if you can’t find it quickly.

That’s why searchability is also essential. The concept of Evergreen Notes is full of hints for this. “Being able to forget” is not a weakness; it should be a strong boost to living wisely and happily in this information society.