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Think Tank #58

We remember our lives in photos.

When you try to conjure up an image of someone you know who has died, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

Is it a transitory moment that you remember? More likely, it’s a photograph that you took of the person, or the one that was used at their funeral service.

Perhaps this isn’t the case at first. When a memory is recent, and still fresh in our minds, we can conjure up images of it easily.

But what about once years pass? How do you remember what your kids looked like when they were babies, or what your dog looked like when he was a puppy? You might have some vague idea, but when you want to really remember, you pull up a photo.

What’s scary about this is that the photographs aren’t actually real. Pictures are posed. When we know we are going to be on camera, we act differently.

And we kind of prefer it this way. We don’t hang candid shots on our walls or post them to social media. People pose for photos that make it look like they were caught off guard all the time, but it’s almost always an illusion.

When we’re looking back at pictures, are we really remembering what it was actually like, or just what it looks like?

Memory is imperfect. At least a photo might jog your memory, get you thinking about a moment that would otherwise be completely gone.

Without it, you have nothing at all.