How does memory of the past (or lack of) affect our lives?

To answer this overall research question I will try to find out:
How does memory of the past (or lack of) affect our lives?

1.Why do we remember some things and forget others?
2.Are we in control of what we want to remember?
3.Can we “jog” our memory of an event or time in the past?
4.How is it that no one remembers when they were born?
5.Why does longer time in the future prevent us from remembering our past?
6.Is it easier to remember our past or someone else’s? (history)
7.Is it possible to forget something or will it always be in our brain?
8.Why and how do we forget our dreams?
9.Do we forget dreams because they are not reality?
10.Can we make ourselves forget something? Or will that just make us remember it more?
11.How does time affect our memory of events?
12.How is memory related to personal knowledge?
13.Can we make ourselves remember something?
14.Are there ways to better our memory?
15.Is memorization really knowledge?
16.Do we forget things because they are insignificant in our life?
17.Can we control what we chose to forget?
18.Is there a limit to how much memory capacity our brain can hold?
19.Does our brain sort significant memories from those that are insignificant?
20.How does alcohol consumption affect our memory?

This is what I already know about this topic and want to find out:
I know that we have short term and long term memory. There are things we can also do to help benefit our memory to make it last longer. I want to know how our brain retains images of our past and stores them. I would also be interested in finding out why we can't remember when we were born or why intoxication makes you forget an event that happened. I am interested in researching ways to help better our memories or take some control over what we want to remember and things we can let ourselves forget.