Innervisions

“If you wake up at a different time, in a different place, could you wake up as a different person?” - Chuck Palahniuk
Our memory is a collection of events – good and bad – that have occurred to us throughout our life and it is definitely a part of who we are. We typically remember the things that have a profound impact upon our life, and often times these memories define who we are. Bruce Wayne (although fictional) witnesses the murder of his parents and has an intense fear of bats. These memorable moments of his childhood are the foundation of who he will eventually become: Batman. In the first chapter of Hunger of Memory it is clear that Rodriguez’s childhood left a lasting impression upon him because he can recall so many vivid details. His struggle with English allowed him to create a strong and enduring bond with his family. Without these monumental life experiences, would these two lives have played out the same way?
We base our decisions for the present and the future from experiences we have faced in the past; we allow our memories to guide us through the future. Had any one singular moment of our past been different we could be different people. We might have different fears, likes and dislikes. We might be able to see things from a new perspective without any preconceptions, just like the young man in the video Unknown White Male when he sees snow for the first time since he lost his memory. If I had not seen countless horror films maybe I wouldn’t be afraid of the dark anymore. We are who we are because of the things we have experienced.
The way we remember the past influences us for the rest of our lives, whether it is as simple as a never-ending fear of the dark or becoming a superhero. Our memory allows us to know where we have been and where we need to go.

Stephanie Champness 012