Notes, Memory and Trust

I really enjoy the movie Memento so far. The layers and complexity draw you in and keep you very attentive. In my neuroscience class we just learned about anterograde amnesia and it was really interesting to see this play out in the movie. The movie made me think about what I would do if I ever had amnesia and which amnesia I would prefer: retrograde or anterograde amnesia. I wouldn't want to forget all my memories from the past, all the people I've met and all the places I have visited, but it would also be extremely difficult to live everyday not being able to remember anything.

In my everyday life, I write a very detailed schedule. I even write in what time I will wake up and work out or get lunch if I am very busy. I like to write everything down because with so much going on every day I sometimes forget to go to work or post a blog for example. I also cross everything off when I am finished. Seeing Leonard write notes in Memento made me realize how easy it is for someone to forge his writing or take away his notes. It is also very possible to forget that the notes you made were incorrect. Since I cross out all my notes when I am finished, someone could easily cross off many things without me knowing. I also think that although a tattoo is permanent and no one could remove the note, it is too risky with the possibility of tattooing false information.

Trust is a big issue in Memento. I am a very gullible person so I would be easily fooled or tricked into believing something that I did. Sometimes I cannot even trust my own memory. Although a bit unrelated, I sometimes don't remember the difference between reality and my dreams. Sometimes I think I talked to someone, but it had been in one of my dreams. Memory is so interesting because although it has so many underlying neuronal mechanisms it can also be manipulated by the environment, people and yourself.

I also really like the format of the movie and it would be interesting to see the different effect it would have if we saw all the scenes in the order of which they occurred.