More on memories

I was thinking a bit more about my post yesterday on memories. Really the situation of one person remembering something that another person doesn't remember can happen even in real life. When people discuss past events they've shared and one person doesn't seem to remember much about it, it can feel sad. Especially if you thought the event was significant.

And then there are all the memories that I myself know that I've forgotten. When reviewing photos and videos of past events, I'm surprised at how much I've already forgotten. Is this a good thing? Is it good that we now have things like photos and videos to remind us of the past? Or would it be better that it were all forgotten? I've wondered about this.

I think there's a sci-fi movie with Robin Williams where the premise is that everyone's memories are recorded somehow in their brain or some device. And then this can be reviewed later. Maybe it was reviewed after the person passed away and then a video memento could be created about their lifetime. I forget exactly. But it does make me wonder if this will be a good thing. The day will come when this is possible. But should we do it? I use to think that I really wanted this. That I hoped that somehow someday all my memories I've had over my lifetime could be unlocked later by future technology. But now I wonder if I'd really want to do that. What's the point in going over those old memories? Won't that just make me sad? Bad memories would bring regret, and good memories will bring longing for what use to be. I suppose the idea would be to find ways to be grateful for those past experiences. But that would be difficult to do without falling into regret and longing as well.

I recently finished watching the anime Plastic Memories. It had the idea that creating special memories were a significant part of a life and maybe even the main goal of life. And I suppose the emphasis was on memories of relationships with other people. But what happens when these memories fade away? Should we let them? Is it right to dwell on memories of the past, or should we be focusing on creating new memories? But then what is the ultimate point of the memories?