Was
Physically, the events of yesterday are entirely gone from the universe. Emotionally, they make up the foundation of who you are. "Was" is the strange neurological mechanism of dragging dead moments into the living present simply to construct a stable identity.
Are you carrying a fading movie in your head simply to prove to yourself who you are?
Topics: consciousness, memory, continuity, journey, narrative
Was
Unknown Location
Are you carrying a fading movie in your head simply to prove to yourself who you are?
The Internal Theater
ry to mentally picture the front door of the home you grew up in. The physical moment of you looking at that door is completely gone from the universe, so where exactly are you seeing it? Physical reality only possesses the present moment, so how is it possible that your mind acts as a deep archive, actively refusing to let the past fade into nothing?
The Rope of Identity
Biologically, the cells of your body are constantly replacing themselves. Psychologically, your perspectives have shifted so completely over the years that the person you were a decade ago is essentially a stranger. If everything about you is different, why do you feel like a single, continuous entity? Is memory the rope that ties all of those completely different versions of yourself together? Are you carrying a fading movie in your head simply to prove to yourself who you are?
The Time Machine
Memory is the only genuine form of time travel the laws of physics permit. How heavily is your present moment colored by the specific gallery of ghosts and lessons stored in your head? If you lose your memory, do you lose the roadmap of your identity, or do you finally become completely free to experience the "Now"?
