Are forgotten memories valuable or meaningful? Are experiences that do not get recognition or get documented worth it? Is it worth living even if others don’t know it?

I walked the Routeburn Track with a friend a few days ago. It is a 32 kilometer long hiking trail outside of Queenstown. We walked it over 2 days and got to experience some magnificent and breathtaking scenery. It was like walking into Middle Earth and through Old Forest, by the Misty Mountains and over the hills of Ithilien. It was truly a fantastic trail and we had very interesting discussions along the way. One of these concerned the matter of taking pictures. I had brought my camera and couldn’t keep myself from trying to capture every beautiful landscape I saw. We talked about how it can actually be sometimes difficult to cherish the moment if you are constantly try to save it for later through a photo. It got me thinking about how we perceive our experiences and how we value them.

Imagine how many memories, situations, experiences, life stories, meetings and beautiful creations witnessed that have been forgotten through human history. Times that were not documented or saved. That doesn’t mean they weren’t any less remarkable or real.

It is understandable how we try to save our memories and experiences. We want to remember and relive situations. We want to share them with people who weren’t there or be able to keep record for future generations. People have probably done this through history as well but in other ways than photos, blogs and social media. The question remains, are we really documenting our lives because we want to enjoy the memories more or are we doing it to be able to feel the experience was actually worth something which we get recognition for by others?

I am asking myself this as much as I am asking you. If we leave the camera and phone behind and go and experience one of the most amazing journeys, will we feel as fulfilled as the same scenario but when we could show all our friends how wonderful just that journey was? This very blogpost is actually one of these documentations were I show what a beautiful hike my friend and I had. I wonder how the Routeburn Track would have been if I had left the camera at home. I will ponder this question and I think we all should think about where we get our acknowledgements regarding how we use the time that has been given us. Maybe we sometimes need to cherish a view or a personal meeting for what it is for just that moment in time and let it be a part of our inner memory and one day be beautifully and naturally forgotten.