Memory
How memory works
The comic is a vertical sequence of five panels connected by downward arrows.
Panel 1 — “Old memory”: Inside a fluffy thought-bubble cloud, a cheerful Triangle-person sits beside a small toy bridge, holding a toy train.
Panel 2 — “Real event”: Under a dark, heavy storm cloud with pouring rain, a train travels along tracks over the landscape. The Triangle-person is holding binoculars and is getting drenched.
Panel 3 — “Updated memory”: back inside a thought bubble, the memory has transformed into a real train crossing a bridge of the same shape as the old toy. It is raining, but the rain is mostly falling on the landscape far away, and the Triangle-person is cheerful.
Panel 4 — “Real event”: The Triangle-person drives a car along a winding road toward a sunny beach. There is a small dark cloud next to the sun, and a beach umbrella is planted in the sand. The Triangle-person is somewhat concerned.
Panel 5 — “Updated memory”: The final thought bubble has the Triangle-person riding a train, which crosses a similar bridge. The railway leads into the distance towards the beach, over which a dark cloud is hanging. The rain is falling on the beach umbrella and on the train.
My daughter always asks me to tell her a bit about my past self and I’m always surprised how little I remember in detail. I seem to be stuck coming back to the same few events, and they seem to be more like fuzzy opinions rather than sturdy facts.
Reading about it I stumbled upon a couple of articles which suggest our memories are not stored permanently. Every time we recollect a memory, it may need to be re-written if we are to retain it.
This re-writing takes some time, and during this period the memory is vulnerable to editing. Our brain can update old memories by weaving current experiences into them - and we don’t even notice.