Thread: Memory Memory Memory

Originally Posted by Quark

Not lucid dreams, for they resemble real life. In waking life we are usually conscious of our actions, and furthermore, our memories are formed on the spot.

My memory of waking life is really good and I can tell you that most people greatly distort their waking life memories.

How do I know my recollection is true/better while theirs is not?
It's just an empirical fact. I tend to remember entire conversations word-for-words a year back. It's easy to check if things I remember are factually correct.
For example: we have a conversation about a persons vacation: where they went, their experiences and so on. 6 months later I check with them if I remember all the details correctly. And usually it turns out I do. Most of them won't even remember we had the conversation. Or even worse, they will think the conversation was about something completely different.

But this is not a new subject. I recommend you check out the movie Rashomon if you haven't already. It makes you question if there is such a thing as consensus reality.

What I'm trying to say is that with regards to the 'quality' or truthfulness of memories:

LD memories > nonLD memories> waking life memories

WL memories are formed on the spot, but they are interpretational.

nonLD memories do not interpret any external reality, whatever you remember dreaming is what you probably dreamt about. The process of filling the gaps and choosing what to fill them with is more conscious.

Example: The dream goes A-> B-> C. You remember A and C clearly, but B is hazy. You think about B and choose the most likely link between C. You are aware that B contains a lot of uncertainty. With WL memories this is done automatically, you don't think about it at all, you almost never question if B you remember is the same as B that really happened.

LD memories presuppose very high level of awareness and are therefor the most reliable of the three.

I find that memory of dream especially distorts when you "sit on it" before writing it down. Laying in bed this morning, I am very sure I invented new details as I pondered whether or not to write my dream down. But I was half-asleep as I thought that, perhaps dreaming still. Nonetheless, I had interesting memory slips recognized only when I truly awoke.

But even if new details suddenly arrange themselves, what is the difference? If the memory of these recently invented distortions is just as vivid, and if we are unaware that they were just now made, then what difference does it make?