Memory brings light and darkness. It brings light by evoking images of joy, happiness, and intimacy. But there is a dark side to memory. It accuses, suffocates, and overwhelms us. Between light and darkness floats a murky cloud of unsure or false memory.
The role that memory plays in our lives is nothing less than comprehensive. It guides you in the morning to make breakfast, to drive, to work. It helps you react to life (I remember that heat is hot, so I don’t touch the pan). Memory forms our identity. We are who we remember ourselves to be, whether that is a Father (I have children whom I love) or a business person (I run a business).
Memory must be ours or we have no identity nor could we function normally in life. And yet memory bears a sword. It cuts or protects. It brings light or darkness. It brings clarity or cloudiness.
And this cloudiness or vagary of memory creates a particular problem for us. Can we trust our memory? [Read more…] about On Memory