In class on Tuesday, Professor Perrone presented a scenario in which an individual must create a physical reminder for himself to make sure that he does his homework. The individual suffers from short term memory loss, so he will not remember if he has homework to turn in or not. Additionally, he does not have a pen or paper to make note of his homework, he only has a bucket and some water. The class was then opened to discussion to think of ways that the individual could use the bucket and water to remind himself that he has homework. Professor Perrone suggested that the individual could draw a line on the inside of the bucket, and he could fill the bucket with water above the line if he had homework, and fill it below the line if he did not have homework. But what if the bucket had a hole in the bottom that caused the water to leak out of the bucket? He would have no idea whether or not he has homework, and his bucket technique would fail him.
This scenario, centered around memory, caused me to think about an episode of Black Mirror that I watched. The episode is titled “The Entire History of You”, and nearly all of the characters in the show have a chip implanted in their heads that enable them to record and replay every single memory from their entire lives. As enticing as this sounds, the chip can become harmful in relationships with others, whether they be amicable or sexual.
In today’s times, a person’s memory is something that they can hold onto and can never be taken from them. Additionally, people have selective memories; they grasp onto their happiest memories, while also try to block out the worst memories from their pasts. Going back to the original scenario presented in class, if the individual had a memory chip implanted in himself, then he would be able to go back and watch what happened in class and see whether or not he was assigned homework. Although this would be helpful for him in this situation, the memory chip would also enable him to review, replay, and relive every single bad memory that he has from his past. All the times his parents yelled at him, all the times he was bullied at school, and all the times he failed athletically or academically. I believe that memories are meant to be cherished, not relived or replayed. I think that people should try to live their lives in the present because we cannot change the past, we can only prepare for the future.