Pinterest/Interest

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Did I exist?

Tanya Reimer brought up a good point in her comment on my post. If you don't remember it, does that mean it didn't happen? So, I'm in a dilemma here. You see, I don't remember anything from age 3 or 4. Does this mean nothing happened? Does it mean I didn't exist at that time? I think something did happen at age 3 and 4, because my parents tell me so. (Does that give me legitimacy?) They tell me they bought me a dog. They called him Jip, because they paid so much for him. And I ran over him with my tricycle (he lived, no serious injury). I do not remember this. It did not happen.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh you remember it all right, the brain does not forget. What you do not, is Recall, cos at that age that function isn't quite developed.

This is the old dilemma of whether the tree fell in a lonely forest if no one heard it fall.

Gerry said...

I just commented on someone else's blog that I'm struggling with the same thing. Do the stories themselves constitute memory? I think they must!

Emily R. King said...

Oh it happened, it's just someone else's memories. :) I tell that to myself as I play with my 3 and 4 year old. I cherish these moments!

Anonymous said...

Interesting. I'm sure it must have affected you in some way, even though you're not cognizant of it now, and so therefore it happened :)

Todd R Moody said...

My parents tell a story that my brother and I were in the playpen together and started stacking toys until I was able to climb out then help him out. She was dismayed, so she says, I have no memory of it, but I like to think I was that cool. =)

Unknown said...

Crap. That means I didn't start living until I was 13. Hmmm. I feel ripped off.

Tanya Reimer said...

I like to think stuff happened that I don't know about. lol. I actually used this as a theme in one of my books, since the MC relies on his flawless memories and then gets them stolen and has to accept that things happen he can't remember. It was fun to mess with him.

writing and living by Richard P Hughes said...

Damyanti, I think you are right.

Gerry, it's sort of like the mythology: it's true even though it isn't true.

Emily, you have mother's loving heart.

Alexandra, I agree.

Todd, it was cool.

Tanya, your MC must have found himself in a real pickle.

Clarissa, don't feel ripped off; you didn't miss much.

Neil Davies said...

I love that dilemma Richard!! Like one of those questions an insomniac could consider, like if a tree falls in a forest but no one is there, does it make a sound?

I'm finding that I'm constantly questioning my own memories - maybe they are snippets of memories which, over time, have become part of one bigger memory.

Anonymous said...

Maybe you just sorta popped in at the age of 4, an alien in a strange land. Your "parents" kept you and pretended you were their own child and told you those things so you'd believe you were theirs too. :) ooooooooooo

http://timefloats.wordpress.com/