Short Term and Long Term Memory

  As one ages there is an inevitable decline in abilities, but is there also a possible concurrent improvement in one’s insights? When short term memory declines, long term memory sometimes improves. Long term memory improvement is not because short term memory seems to be diminished, but rather because both occur more or less simultaneously as part of the aging process; short term memory because of declining ability and long term memory because of nostalgia, a longing to understand the currents of one’s life. An understanding of History, in this case the history of one’s life, provides insights not available to those who depend on the immediate: who depend on short term memory for insights into the verities of life. Older adults are often considered conservative, but that is not necessarily conservative relative to politics or economics. It has more to do with being conservative relative to societal norms and social issues.