The Tyranny of the Remembering Self
Yesterday in my Cognition class, my professor shared with us this TED Talk. I find it extremely fascinating and relevant to my life as a study abroad student and a student of positive psychology. As soon as class ended, I hopped on a bus to go to the primary school where I volunteer, and I reflected on what Danny Kahneman said in the talk and wrote the following:
Do I care about experience or memory? Honestly, I think I might care more about memory—because it is something that defines me. But then I question: Is that definition for me or for others? Do I care more about how I see know myself or how others see know me? Or do I care about who I am? How do I even define such an abstract thing? I love taking pictures—why? I think I like to share my experiences with others, for sure. Maybe it's about showing them who I am through the photos—to an extent, at least, but that doesn't bother me. Sharing myself and my experiences, no... my memories, is something that I love, something that characterizes me, something that is essentially "Lindsay."