FORGETTING THE UNFORGETTABLE

Have you ever misplaced your keys right after holding them? Have you ever forgotten an important appointment? Now imagine forgetting something huge, like where you put your Bible or where you parked your car. History is riddled with tales of things that one would think could never be forgotten, but ended up slipping through the cracks.

For instance, the Taj Mahal stands as an eternal symbol of love, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631. However, according to legend, construction began directly around her coffin in one of the rooms at the site. As years passed and the magnificent structure rose, the emperor visited less and less frequently.  Over time, the coffin was buried under piles of construction debris and rubbish. Eventually, Shah Jahan ordered the site cleared of all the accumulated waste, unwittingly discarding the very coffin of the woman the monument was meant to honor. The Taj Mahal, a wonder of the world, ironically overshadowed its own purpose. It's a tale of how grief can fade, and the unforgettable becomes lost in the shuffle of time and ambition.

In the biblical story from Genesis, Joseph, a Hebrew who was sold into slavery in Egypt, rose to become the second most powerful man in the land after interpreting Pharaoh's prophetic dreams of seven years of abundance and seven years of famine. His wisdom and planning saved Egypt from starvation during seven years of drought, earning him the Egyptian name Zaphnath-Paaneah (interpreted as "God speaks and lives"). As time marched on, a new Pharaoh arose "who did not know Joseph," forgetting his monumental contributions and leading to the enslavement of Joseph's descendants, the Israelites. To me, it is remarkable that in a country obsessed with building pyramids and stone monuments, no memorial or monument was ever built to honor Joseph in Egypt. His legacy was erased from collective memory, perhaps deliberately to avoid obligations to his people, highlighting how even a nation's savior can be conveniently forgotten amid shifting powers. This is a symbol of the human condition in our present world.

There is another forgotten item that always intrigued me. In the 7th century BCE, during the reign of King Josiah of Judah, workers remodeling the Temple in Jerusalem stumbled upon something extraordinary. Buried or forgotten within the temple's wall was the Book of the Law, essentially the core scriptures of the Torah, including the book of Deuteronomy (2 Kings 22:8). High Priest Hilkiah discovered it during repairs and brought it to the king, who was so moved that he initiated sweeping religious reforms. But how does someone forget the very word of God in their holiest site, the temple? It's a stark reminder that even divine words can gather dust when priorities shift amid chaos and neglect. This "unforgettable" artifact had been overlooked for generations, only to resurface and reshape a nation.

Yet, for all the forgetting of the unforgettable, some things burrow into our souls and hang on like a leech, refusing to leave. I was thinking of Edgar Allan Poe's “The Tell-Tale Heart”, where a murderer's guilt manifested as a continual, imagined heartbeat coming from under the floorboards of his house, driving him to madness. No amount of denial could silence the repeated preaching of his conscience. Similarly, traumatic memories, lost loves, or deep regrets often haunt us eternally. They remind us that while we may forget the sacred or the symbolic, the human conscience has a way of preserving what truly matters, beating on constantly like that tell-tale heart.

In the end, memory is a fickle friend, capable of losing treasures but holding onto shadows. What unforgettable thing have you forgotten lately? Share in the comments!