I'll stick with my old school version of humanity, thanks.

I just got finished reading The Giver and I have to say, I'm a little shocked.  One, the ending didn't tell me what happened to Jonas... I wanted to know!  Where did he end up??  Did he survive?? I guess I'll have to search my heart and find what happened to him there.
As for the themes presented in the book, I think Lois Lowry drives them home in a very concrete manner.  Jonas lives in a futuristic society, one which I found very superficial from the start.  The rehearsed lines of "I apologize for..." and "We accept your apology" seemed fake.  One thing that really stuck out throughout the novel was the idea that memories should be "held" by one person.  At first, this sounds like a great idea: only one person has to feel the pain and heartbreak of loss.  Upon closer inspection however, Jonas realizes that if only one person has those feelings, they are utterly alone, and, furthermore, they aren't really feeling anything.
I will be the first person to admit that I don't like pain:  I'm a wimp when it comes to needles and eye drops, and the idea of getting blood taken creates a mini-panic attack.  However, I know those feelings won't last, that I'll feel better later, and that the pain will subside with the passage of time, as new memories, happy memories, memories of moments spent with loved ones, are made.  The society in which Jonas lives doesn't have the memories of intense emotional power that Jonas does, because the feelings, the memories, are kept only by Jonas.  They live in a dull society without animals, hills, even the simple ability to see in color.  As Jonas is given the memories of war, he realizes that he's never known pain before, and he feels burdened by it.  But, through the pain, he comes to realize that the things that he once thought were very painful-a sunburn, a scrape on the knee- are not really that painful.  The knowledge of the pain of wounds from war make those other pains feel much less painful. 
Jonas also realizes true happiness.  He finds himself contentment at the warmth of the sun on his skin.  But he's the only one who feels such things.  And when he asks his parents if they love him, the laugh and tell him that such a word is not precise and is archaic.  They had lost the feeling of love.  Certainly, the pain that came through receiving the memories of people from past generations was bad, but he also experienced loving family moments, such as opening gifts beside the Christmas tree, surrounded by parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters.  Memories have the power to evoke pain, but also love.
Because we're human, and because we live in a world filled with sin, we have memories that evoke feelings of loneliness and feelings of regret, but we also have feelings of true happiness.  In The Giver, the society came to the decision that people would mess up their lives too much if they were allowed to feel these things so much.  Not everyone would be the same.  Not everyone would feel the same way.  But by losing those memories, they lost the capacity to truly love.  I for one, hope to never lose the capacity to love.  Feeling love, sadness, anger and joy are part of what makes us human.  Knowing what love is from the love that I've received from my family and friends gives me gives me the chance to show that love to others.  And that's perfectly okay with me.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that given the chance to live without having to remember the pain of breaking my arm or the pain of hearing someone say something hurtful to me, I'd rather not take the opportunity, because it would lessen the power of feeling loved.  Don't we all want to feel?  Isn't it part of being human?  
"Memories are meant to be shared."- the Giver