Memories vs. Experiences

So right before I came back to school, I was cleaning up all my stuff out of the current guest bedroom, which also happens to be my parents bedroom (they're redoing it, so they temporarily stole my room) and right behind this one hutch, I noticed a number of picture frames.

Now, my parents have been married for over twenty years, and haven't faltered through any of it. They're both amazing human beings, filled with love and care. We might not always see eye-to-eye but they have always provided and have been supportive for my brother and I.

And well, you can only guess what I found.

Covered in what felt like an inch of dust was there wedding photo. One could think, "well they obviously hadn't looked at that in a long time, something must be wrong in that marriage." But rather, I think it shows how much they've been working on other things, that in the 16 years that we've lived in that house, they've never had a spare moment to hang it up. They do so much more for their two children, and love each other more than what that photograph represents.

Here's one of my very few critiques on photography: A photograph may show the past. A photograph may show what was once there, and is now lost. A photograph may withstand it's meaning, or lose it. But a photograph will never be anything close to the actual experience. It can trigger a memory, but you will never be back in that spot ever again. The flash of a moment is gone in ... well, a flash.

We live in a society where our memories are becoming obsolete. Why memorize the parts of the eye when you can just "Wikipedia it?" Why write down important dates when you can just tell your phone to? Why experience a party to it's fullest when you can just look at the pictures the next day on Facebook?

Because you'll never have the memory. We expect computers to be our extra storage our brains can't handle, but just like this picture, it will never be genuine.

When I look at this picture, I have memories of when my dad used to have that goofy mustache, or when my mom used to perm her hair. But I don't have a experience of that day (obviously.) I have my mom and dad now, and always, to remind me that this picture is genuine, and only to them, is it.