First, The Happy Pills, Then Just Remove The Memory Completely?

When I was in Mali, I developed a theory about when bad things happen to people in the western world. When a bad thing happens to you, you actually have two bad things happen -
A. The belief that no bad things should happen is shaken
B. The actual bad thing that happened and how now you need to deal with it

In Mali, on the other hand, they had an "If Allah Wills It" attitude, which is if a bad thing happens, then it was preordained and therefore nothing could have been done. This is as equally destructive because people do not need to die of malaria or poor drinking water, there are precautions people can take.

So, the answer is somewhere in the middle, I reckon.

Check out this article in the NYTimes about how they have discovered a way to remove bad memories. Good idea, or bad? It sounds a lot like bad things should not happen to us. You make the call. But I know when bad things have happened to me, they have made me stronger, but on the other hand, I am very lucky to have a pretty charmed life. Knock on wood.....