Mike's Place

By Michael L. Craner

Just read and article about how our memories may not be 100% true, and it basically confirmed what I have long suspected.

Ever have someone relate a shared experience but with different details than you recall? This could be an example of that.

Especially as we get older, we have more and more experiences. Then we go to sleep each night (hopefully) and our brain processes these experiences.

The result can produce altered impressions of the experience and since in dream state we typically re-run the experience multiple times it begins to cement itself in our minds, thus making it a "truth" in our memory, even though some or many details may be false to reality.

Much like how a habitual liar can truly believe their own lies if they tell them often enough.

Keeping a daily diary or journal can keep this in check. For most I'm sure the altered memory is innocent. Something happened, they processed it in sleep, and the new "story" is how their brain dealt with it. It may not be wrong, but its also not historically accurate.

Now, this is akin to digital news, Wikipedia, and such where content can be easily edited and altered, or even deleted (for the most part) changing the facts as seen fit by those who control them.

You can't change what is written or printed so easily. It can be analyzed, amended, or redacted, but you can't easily change what was initially put down.

Even our own minds deceive us unless we keep it in check. So.... write it down. With ink and paper.