John Newling

Midlands

UK

26^th January 2018

Nature

The Earth

There have been times when a phenomenon of yours takes my breath away. I have responded by trying to take a photograph. When I see the picture it is frequently disappointing as it doesn’t illustrate the visceral feeling I had whilst experiencing the event.

We know, and recall, where we are because we experience variety of sensory information.

To focus on a single image impoverishes the recollection. We lose other associations coalesced within our memory.

Lately I have observed people visiting a place often keep their smartphone in their hand to take a picture of where they are. These devices seem to hardly ever leave the eye as places are captured.

I can’t think that this helps us to remember where we were, or are. If we recall experiences in the context of their environments, then constantly taking pictures constricts our memory of the place, event or phenomena.

We end up with a strangely glazed view of our environments and the places within them.

We are in danger of forgetting that every place, event and phenomena is held within an environment of you; a dangerous amnesia.

Yours,

John