Memories

[Ms. Kensington]

I usually associate memories with Ni.

How do you types think about memories and the function of memory?

I think of memories in a static way, like Ne people have been described as seeing states of affairs as stationary movies. I see them as a point where one could extrapolate off of endlessly, but the feeling would be as if you were going inward.

I feel that it is also an incredibly romantic notion. That a moment in time is preserved, and could mean so many things. Maybe I am thinking of Ni+Fe; maybe a gamma could explain what their memories convey to them.

[ScarlettLux]

Memories are a beautiful thing, very precious. This is why I keep an long term journal.. I never want to forget what has happened to me. It's like you would waste them because over time, memories do become blurrier, fuzzier.. less concrete than as they are when you first remember what has happened say, yesterday. Yeah, I do think memories are a very romantic notion as well.

It's kinda freaky because.. life itself is just a long running chain of memories Without it, what are we? If we could not remember what has happened, we wouldn't even.. be. It's so weird to think about. I mean, the past.. we're always in a perpetual present right? I mean, what I just wrote 2 seconds ago should be in my memory because it already happened. We're never really in the future, because it becomes the present. Then all that we are is in the past.. then all we are is memories. Yeah, that makes NO sense, sorry!

[Creepy-Diana]

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[Sentineneve]

[Creepy-Diana]

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[Elro]

It's kinda freaky because.. life itself is just a long running chain of memories Without it, what are we? If we could not remember what has happened, we wouldn't even.. be.

If your memory was suddenly gone of the past you'd still be, but you wouldn't be you. You'd have to start fresh - and the people you once knew would have no real meaning to you. They'd just be people who had suddenly entered your life, as though you had just been born. You'd have to form new connections.

If you were incapable of holding a memory, learning would be impossible, except muscle memory. You'd be a lump, no past, no future, only that instant in time, and then it's gone, only to start over the next instant.

Hmm, would even muscle memory persist? I'm not sure how that works exactly... Not that it would matter since you would essentially become a vegetable.

[Sentineneve]

[Creepy-Diana]

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[Khamelion]

I am sensative to memories when around certain smells, music/sounds, or environment in general.

I hate it but I love it...

[redbaron]

Memories are a beautiful thing, very precious. This is why I keep an long term journal.. I never want to forget what has happened to me. It's like you would waste them because over time, memories do become blurrier, fuzzier.. less concrete than as they are when you first remember what has happened say, yesterday. Yeah, I do think memories are a very romantic notion as well.

Same here. I have kept an almost daily journal since I was 16 (I'm 36 now). I have went back to read parts here and there and remembered things I had long forgotten. It's kind of neat. I have considered getting rid of some of them due to things I don't think I want my kids to read eventually after I'm dead and gone but then I just can't, they are too much a part of me. Good bad and ugly.

[UDP]

Memories are a beautiful thing, very precious. This is why I keep an long term journal.. I never want to forget what has happened to me. It's like you would waste them because over time, memories do become blurrier, fuzzier.. less concrete than as they are when you first remember what has happened say, yesterday. Yeah, I do think memories are a very romantic notion as well.

It's kinda freaky because.. life itself is just a long running chain of memories Without it, what are we? If we could not remember what has happened, we wouldn't even.. be. It's so weird to think about. I mean, the past.. we're always in a perpetual present right? I mean, what I just wrote 2 seconds ago should be in my memory because it already happened. We're never really in the future, because it becomes the present. Then all that we are is in the past.. then all we are is memories. Yeah, that makes NO sense, sorry!

You are not your memories.

[ScarlettLux]

UDP you make me sad

[UDP]

UDP you make me sad

Your attachment to your memories makes you sad... or really it can generate any emotional response, depending on what memories you focus on.

I mean, the past.. we're always in a perpetual present right?

We are always in the same perpetual present moment, but whether your conscious is there or not is another matter. Being aware of what you are focusing on - where you put your attention and how you use your mind - is important.

[FDG]

My PC has a 300 GB hard disk and 1 gb of ram

[redbaron]

UDP you make me sad

Your attachment to your memories makes you sad... or really it can generate any emotional response, depending on what memories you focus on.

I mean, the past.. we're always in a perpetual present right?

We are always in the same perpetual present moment, but whether your conscious is there or not is another matter. Being aware of what you are focusing on - where you put your attention and how you use your mind - is important.

Yes but being able to bring up those memories, the details we've long forgotten can definitely be useful in the present. I have learned a lot about who I was as a girl in my early 20s from my journals now that I have a broader perspective on life and the world. Without them, I would have forgotten what I was like and how far I've come. The things that happen in the past affect today and throw light on past decisions.

[Not A Communist Shill]

When I think of memories, they seem sort of mythical - I think of some old and distant land, and I hear distant music. When I'm daydreaming, I'm thinking about what I wish to happen, but when I dwell on memories, it feels like I'm exploring a part of myself - the memories make me feel very old.

I always consider my earliest memory to be of a white light on the roof of a ceiling that looks like a hospital - I have no idea when that was, but it is extremely unlikely to of been the day I was born, considering babies only recognise the features of their own mother gradually over several weeks - it must have been early on though. My first 'proper' memory' is of me being in my lounge at home - I remember a Christmas tree, and everything looks very orange due to a small light being on - I can remember the smell of that room.

Sometimes, on an important day or when I'm walking along a beach with pebbles after a glorious day, I try to 'create' a memory as vividly as possible, in order that I can place myself back there way to the future - I try to remember the sensations going through my body, and imagine I am looking at myself . It doesn't usually work if I force it to happen - but a really cool thing is when you visit a place you've been to many times before (or may have only been to once), and you can see the 'ghosts' of the past walking by you - sometimes I feel like I'm living the present moment and the dream at the same time. (You'll be pleased to know I have only once walked into a lamppost, and that was when I was trying to prove to my brother that I could walk with my eyes closed).

ScarlettLux's post about memories sounds so wonderful - I like people who think like that!

[UDP]

UDP you make me sad

Your attachment to your memories makes you sad... or really it can generate any emotional response, depending on what memories you focus on.

I mean, the past.. we're always in a perpetual present right?

We are always in the same perpetual present moment, but whether your conscious is there or not is another matter. Being aware of what you are focusing on - where you put your attention and how you use your mind - is important.

Yes but being able to bring up those memories, the details we've long forgotten can definitely be useful in the present. I have learned a lot about who I was as a girl in my early 20s from my journals now that I have a broader perspective on life and the world. Without them, I would have forgotten what I was like and how far I've come. The things that happen in the past affect today and throw light on past decisions.

Of course. Differentiation and understanding of the past is useful for processing experience to derive wisdoms.

But you are not your memories. (You are much more than that.)

[XoX]

It's kinda freaky because.. life itself is just a long running chain of memories Without it, what are we? If we could not remember what has happened, we wouldn't even.. be.

If your memory was suddenly gone of the past you'd still be, but you wouldn't be you. You'd have to start fresh - and the people you once knew would have no real meaning to you. They'd just be people who had suddenly entered your life, as though you had just been born. You'd have to form new connections.

If you were incapable of holding a memory, learning would be impossible, except muscle memory. You'd be a lump, no past, no future, only that instant in time, and then it's gone, only to start over the next instant.

Hmm, would even muscle memory persist? I'm not sure how that works exactly... Not that it would matter since you would essentially become a vegetable.

I'm not very well connected to my past. I have very little memories. Especially "emotional memories". If I have any memories they are more like facts than feelings. I'm not emotionally tied to them. I'm also very bad at consciously memorizing things. Some things naturally stick with me but some others just don't. Like I keep forgetting phone numbers, pin code's, people's names, addresses, where did I park my damn car (lol)... etc. As a result my life is very present and future oriented (equally both).

I have to admit that what Diana said happens to me easily. I keep starting over and over again in human relationships as well as in many other things. I can start over and over again with same people too after I have been disconnected from them for a while. I know some people may have problems with this. Some think it is fascinating because there is always a sense of "new" involved. It keeps the relations fresh. I don't build much on my past nor do I appreciate what I have done in my past. It is almost as if it didn't exist. Past quickly becomes like a distant dream which seems almost unreal.

I'm also very bad at sticking to some pre-learned method when doing some task. Unless it is simple and repetitive method. I tend to forget the details of complex methods. Methods easily become like burdens instead of helpers. Generally this means I tend to improvise a lot in life and use inductive thinking to understand the situation from the facts I have right before me.

I forgive (or forget?) rather easily if people have wronged me but also the good deeds they have done tend to fade away. I need to be reminded of your good deeds every now and then. Like "I once did this and that for you and thus you should be nicer to me". Then i remember "oh yes! I had forgotten! I have to be your slave forever".

So if someone reminds me of my past then it kind of surfaces. Like an unreal flashback. So it is somewhere inside my head but I need outside input in order to actually force it out. If I'm by myself and no one keeps "reminding" me then I tend to start a new life every day as if the past did not exist.

This said I think all my experiences somehow subconsciously affect me even if they are not present in my memory. Like I know I can do some things easily which were hard before. It sort of makes my inductive thinking process easier if I have "sub consious previous knowledge" of the situation at hand. I improvise better sort of. Even if consciously I'm just improvising as usual my subconscious supports me with experiences from the past. Improvising becomes faster with experience. You sort of become better at guessing the "paths" in which direction you should go next.

[redbaron]

Of course. Differentiation and understanding of the past is useful for processing experience to derive wisdoms.

But you are not your memories. (You are much more than that.)

When I read that last part, I feel really happy for some reason. Not sure why. I agree with you. I do think that we're all more than the sum total of our memories. If I lost my memory, I do think that I would still be me. It would just take some time to figure out exactly who that person is.

[anndelise]

How about this...
instead of "you are your memories"...or "You are not your memories"...
how about
"Your memories influence who you are and what you do"

[redbaron]

How about this...
instead of "you are your memories"...or "You are not your memories"...
how about
"Your memories influence who you are and what you do"

I'm sure everyone can agree on that one. I think part of what UDP was trying to say is that we shouldn't live in the past and base all of our identity on what has happened to us and/or our choices. Focus more on moving forward from the present. It's something I need to hear because I do tend to focus a bit too much on the past.