Free Write
In my life, I have never felt “impeded” by my life story. I agree with the people that Strawson cites, saying that we live in the moment and don’t really think about making memories to remember them. I live more in the moment or even in the future. I would rather enjoy what is going on at the moment and think about what is going to be happening in the future, so I can plan for it now. When I do make memories, I am not actively trying to make these memories so I can retell them to someone later. I can also relate to what Strawson says about having many selves. For example, the “me”who is making a joke with a grandparent or parent isn’t the same “me” that makes jokes with close friends. Also, my personality at work is much different than mine outside of work. If a customer tells me that I am doing a bad job, I would be respectful about it. But if someone told me I was doing a bad job outside of work, I would tell them to take a hike. An example of this is when Strawson says “I don’t remember things in order to retell them.” There is no point in remembering things to retell them, because you will get no worth out of those memories. Memories should be made so that you can look back on good times and bad, and remember and learn from your past experiences.
Below are pictures of my annotations
I agree with your ideas about having many selves and how they changed based on different situations or settings. I also agree with your ideas about what memories should be used for, as you mentioned at the end of your writing. Memories should not be taken for granted.
Ben,
I’m curious if you think there is a difference between filtering one’s behavior in regards to one’s audience and actually possessing different selves. Continue to work on expanding your annotations, as underlining alone can often leave one at a loss later on when revisiting a text in pursuit of a specific idea or quote.