Are we supposed to remember or forget the things of the past? Deuteronomy 16-18

Deuteronomy 16:12
" You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes."

What we remember in life is important.   We are often trying to forget things.   In fact, in Philippians 4:8 we are actually told by Paul's example to forget things from the past that are hindering our walk with Christ:

Philippians 3:13
" Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,"

Paul realized that there were things in the past that could hold us back from laying hold of what Christ has for us.   In his case it was the pride of life and the accomplishments of life he needed to forget.  He was keenly aware that when we hold onto our own accomplishments we will not lay hold of what Christ has for us.   So, forgetting is a good thing.    Yet, in the above passage in Deuteronomy we see that God tells the nation of Israel to "remember" their former state.   In this case the remembering is to assure they don't forget that God brought them out of something ... something they should not forget.   An alcoholic is always told to introduce themselves at a AA meeting with their name and with the statement, "... and I'm an alcoholic."  The reminder for them is to make sure they don't forget their station in life and the bad steps they have made and the fact they "might" return to that station.  However, if you look at the above passage, God tells the nation to remember that they "were" slaves in Egypt.   God has redeemed them.  God has set them free from their slavery (see the entire Psalm 107).   God has set us free from the slavery of the past through His Son.   We ought not continue to remember that were "are" something, but that we "were" something and, by the grace of God, we have been set free.   We ought NEVER forget what were "were" and that God set us free.   The organization of AA has done a lot of good in our country, but where they fail is to combine the concepts taught in Deuteronomy 16:12 and Philippians 3:13.   We are to forget what we have accomplished, because that may hinder us from attaining what God has for us.   But, we are to remember we ARE free and we can refer to those things in the past as past-tense.   Christ has changed us once for all.   I am no longer a sinner.   I should always remember what I WAS and put that in the frame work of what I NOW AM, in Christ.   I should forget anything that might hinder me from laying hold of that truth.