Myths of Memory.

On my TV screen, a psychic mutant covered with phlegm asks Arnold Schwarzenegger what he wants. "The same as you," Arnold says. "To remember." "But why?" "To be myself again," Arnold responds. The movie is Total Recall, an action/adventure flick based on the Philip K. Dick story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale." Arnold plays an ordinary guy who is frustrated by dreams of Mars, where he has never been. So he goes …

…myself again." It is easy to think of yourself as the sum of your memories--the end product of all that you've ever experienced. But after doing research into memory, we find that it makes sense to reverse that statement. Your memories are the end product of all you've ever thought and done, filtered through your perceptions and opinions. Who you are is shaped by your memories, and your memories are shaped by who you are.