currently reading dirty cupa fantasy detective novel.
Consider “Sherlock Holmes set in Westeros.”
The protagonist has this augmentation that allows him to absorb every interaction and every detail of the crime scene and recite these exact details at a later date.
I remember something terrible black mirror This episode is about exactly this. It means being able to remember every fact of every interaction in the past.
The important point here is that in all of these scenarios, the facts may be true, but there is still a lot of room for improvement in the analysis of these facts.
I thought about this a lot recently when I came across two stories that I wanted to share.
“the past is not realFrom Derek Shivers:
When I was 17 years old, I drove recklessly and collided with an oncoming car. I broke the other driver’s spine and found out he would never be able to walk again.
I carried that burden with me everywhere and felt so terrible about it for so many years that at age 35 I decided to ask this woman to apologize. I found her name and address, went to her house and knocked on the door. Then a middle-aged woman appeared. As soon as I said, “I’m the teenager who crashed into your car and broke my spine 18 years ago,” I started sobbing. My long-held regrets came to the surface, and I cried a lot.
She was so sweet and hugged me and said, “Oh, sweetie, sweetie!” Don’t worry. I’m fine! “Then she took me into the living room. We walked.
It turns out I was mistaken.
Yes, she fractured several vertebrae, but that did not prevent her from walking. She said, “Thanks to that little accident, I was able to pay more attention to my fitness, and I’ve been in better health than ever since.”
after that she apologized Because he caused the accident in the first place. I apologized.
and this Stories about the “good old days” From author Morgan Housel:
A few months ago, I reminded my wife how great it was. [life was in our early 20s]. We were 23 years old, blessed with jobs, and living in our version of the Taj Mahal. Since I didn’t have kids yet, I slept in until 10 a.m. on weekends, went for walks, had brunch, took a nap, and then went out to dinner. That was our life. For years.
“It’s been a great life, it’s been great,” I told her.
“What are you talking about?” she said. “At that time, you were probably more anxious, scared, and depressed than ever before.”
…I’m thinking this in my head right now. It was the best year for me. ”
But actually, at the time, I was thinking, “I can’t wait for these next few years to be over.”
It makes me think a lot about the past and our future. As it turns out, neither is fixed.
Which past story can you rewrite?
As the cliché goes, it’s easier to connect the dots looking backwards than forwards.
Are there any stories from the past about specific moments that you still hold onto?
Maybe it’s something filled with shame about something that happened, but it resulted in something even better for you.
Maybe you’re yearning for a past life that never really existed.
The past has already happened, but that doesn’t mean it’s set in stone.
Returning to Shivers
“History can be changed.
These are just some of the facts that actually happened. Everything else is perspective and open to reinterpretation.
The past is never over. ”
I want to know what stories you are telling yourself about your past, both good and bad, that you are trying to rewrite.
-Steve
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