Brain Food #405
Imagining the future is an act of remembering
Daily Brain Food.
Thoughts of the day
Good morning, and welcome to today’s Brain Food.
The parts of the brain responsible for recalling a memory, or what is known as episodic memory, are the same parts that we use to imagine the future. This is like imagining being somewhere, only because you have seen a photo of that place, or assuming a situation will unfold in a specific way because you experienced something similar in the past.
Imagining the future, then, paradoxically becomes an act of remembering.
Along the same lines, if our phobias and fears exist to protect us, from whatever is within or without, they open the door to catastrophising: irrationally believing that the worst possible outcome is the most likely.
The way we imagine the future is tainted by our error-prone memories, anchored to events of the past.
The present today will be the past tomorrow. As much as we are in control of our present fate, memory creation, and our perception of the future, remain within our own powers. Though we cannot entirely control how the future will unfold, the way we imagine it and respond to it starts from how we act today.
“Real generosity towards the future lies in giving all to the present.”
— Albert Camus