Memory

I remember a discussion from a few years ago, when a good friend of mine and I were discussing how memory alters the reality it records, how memories are embellished due to being revisited frequently, and how said alteration is responsible for nostalgia. We came to the conclusion (a purely constatative/speculative one, as our small talk had no scientific basis whatsoever) that the past isn't probably as beautiful as we think it is when we are nostalgic, that our perception of the past that relies on memory alone is biased and that making the most of the present is a better idea.

Flash forward to a few years later and a few months ago when I stumbled upon this quote by Lao Tzu that resumes perfectly all of this. The embellished and idolized memory of the "you" slowly replaces the faded out, imperfect, original "you".

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Zapfino, Photoshop CS5, ~60 minutes.

Part of The Farewell Series. [link]