What if? It's the basis of many stories. We ask. We ponder. We wonder.
On Tuesdays I throw one out there. What if? It may be speculative. It may stem from something I see. It may be something I pull from the news.
Make of it what you will. If a for instance is not specified, interpret that instance as you wish. And if the idea turns into a story, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements 😉
Today I'm stealing a "what if?" from Olivia Waite (it's okay if I attribute it, right? 🤔) and her novel, Murder by Memory.
What if you could read memories stored in a library? (Whose would you read, first?)
I wouldn't even begin. The concept of reading another's memory makes me uneasy. Memories are private. Sure, when we're gone, they're gone, but I think that's for the best. If we want our memories to live on, we should write a memoir! I think memories are too personal to really mean anything to anyone else anyway. Plus, they'd include fear and sorrow. I would feel as if I was intruding. Nope.
ReplyDeleteOh the things you could learn....but I would hope that I could do it by choice of which ones I wanted to read
ReplyDeletethecontemplativecat here. LIke Lisa said, memories are private. It doesn't feel right. I put many of my memories in short stories. Mine, but with a shift.
ReplyDeleteUnless those memories were freely given I don't think I would feel right knowing them.
ReplyDeleteWell, there is The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, but it's the protagonist's alternate lives if she had taken different paths in her life that were in the Midnight library books. And that (OK, spoiler alert) almost didn't end well. I don't think having access to memories of others would end well, either, even if it was freely given to that library. I wouldn't want to live in that world.
ReplyDeleteI would want to know who checked out my memory.
ReplyDeleteWell, this opens up a can of worms. I would hope that the memories we read would only be from people who are aok and give their legal right to have that in the library. You know, if I wanted to know Trump’s memories, all I have to so is pick up a seashell.
ReplyDeleteThat's almost as terrifying a concept as mining social media posts and/or stifling free speech. ~shudder~ What a world...
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lisa. It makes me uneasy. Memories are deeply personal and private and accessing them feels like an intrusion. I think some things are best left untouched!
ReplyDelete