Memories
How accurately do we recall past experiences? Do memories, and the emotions we attached to them, change with time, or is it only our perspective about particular experiences that changes?
In “A Sense of an Ending” by Julian Barnes, the dominant theme is the accuracy of our memories. The main character’s recollection of a high school experience is very different from the actual experience. His memory of the event is devoid of emotion, logically classified with a level of indifference, and accepted as part of life. As he reflects on it, he is satisfied with the closure he assigned to it. However, all this changes when he is confronted with the actual account of that experience. The confrontation awakens a host of repressed emotions, and he begins to question the person he thought he was.
A thought- provoking book, poses the question: are we really the people we think we are? When it comes to painful experiences, how do we keep them in our minds, in our hearts? Undoubtedly, many of us have memories of experiences that are too painful to recall accurately. We alter them, dull their intensity with clinical precision, and store them away in our mind. A form of self-preservation, perhaps this is our way of coming to terms with life’s painful situations, or even removing ourselves from complicity. Sad, but possible!
On the other hand, there are those memories that remain indelible, unchangeable; they forever warm the heart and amplify the significance of life. The gentle memories of simple words from a great heart!
I have a memory of my dad whistling in the bathroom while having his morning shave. My dad is no longer alive, but I treasure this memory! I vividly remember standing at the side of the bathroom door watching him shave, and wondering how he could whistle and shave at the same time. To this day, when I hear a man whistling a tune, I think of my dad. Ah, yes, the memories of childhood!
What’s your heart-warming memory?
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