"He had forgotten having seen the photograph before but had
remembered what it depicted, and the latter over time became
its own memory."
Not only do I dislike taking photos when traveling, but I especially dislike _looking_ at photos of my travels. I realized long ago that memories of the photo can become conflated with and displace my actual memory of the event. I'd rather a fuzzy memory that's all my own over a detailed memory of a photo.
This has resulted in tension with my wife and others, though I try to keep my preferences to myself as much as possible. I realize most people either just don't understand the distinction, or maybe just don't care as much as I do. But to me, memory is a very significant aspect of "me" (in myriad dimensions--physical, emotional, w'ever), and it's downright horrifying knowing how fragile and malleable it is. And it's malleable to both external and _internal_ influences, which means just thinking about a memory can change it. Nonetheless, in my experience the photo effect is extremely strong and it's far easier to just avert my eyes than risk corrupting a cherished memory so thoroughly.
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[ 3.7 ms ] story [ 14.7 ms ] threadThis has resulted in tension with my wife and others, though I try to keep my preferences to myself as much as possible. I realize most people either just don't understand the distinction, or maybe just don't care as much as I do. But to me, memory is a very significant aspect of "me" (in myriad dimensions--physical, emotional, w'ever), and it's downright horrifying knowing how fragile and malleable it is. And it's malleable to both external and _internal_ influences, which means just thinking about a memory can change it. Nonetheless, in my experience the photo effect is extremely strong and it's far easier to just avert my eyes than risk corrupting a cherished memory so thoroughly.