Article: http://tinyurl.com/powcc2b

Walter Kirn embodies the theme of time and memory in his blog article for The New York Times. The relevancy to this program is thrown into the mix when the intro includes the question, “what if marcel Proust kept an Instagram?”. Readers follow the author’s recounting of his own memories with his children who, at the time, were actively flicking away their lives  on social media. The proposed question enticed me to ponder, only to conclude the following: if Proust could use Instagram today, I’m sure we’d find his followers clicking away at the “like” button under a sepia-filtered iphone shot of the church in combray. I am also sure we could still find the impressive 6 volume set of ” In Search of Lost Time”, whether It be in the form of books or in the changed form of a blog or youtube series. However, I do not feel that social media would strip away the analytical qualities which we have come to associate with proust. Whether my assumption is correct, or not, really comes down to the everlasting psychological debate of nurture versus nature. Regardless, my point is that social media or  journaling isn’t as negative as It was implied as.

Personally, I sense a connection between the author and Proust. Both individuals led a life (or at least a portion of it) before the convenience of cellphone cameras and wireless technology. The author describes memory as an imaginative act; one which people first imagine what we want to keep. Proust seems to do this in his own literature, highlighting and emphasizing his own specific memories. This memory selection in turn becomes the formation of one’s own personal life-narration, and it is a process which still stands today.

In regards to the authors children, I would say that they are apart of a larger collection of generations which include my own. My peers, the authors children and I have been absorbed by media and technology for our entire lives. This lifestyle is one which I seek to advocate for; a lifestyle where social media is an outlet for self-expression (however little creativity it may require). Social media has not replaced the formation of one’s own life narration. Instead, it has become a tool to help create our story. I would argue that social media can become a valuable life tool.

In contrast to Walter Kirn, I have journaled. Walter Kirn romanticizes the qualities of memories and of how it is written in a “smokey synapse”. He cites the absence of his journaling as a point of pride. However, my own experience with journaling has proved increasingly practical. I recently sifted through these entries, in addition to Instagram photos and old Facebook messages from my prepubescent years. The reflection of a physical documentation has gifted me my own personal insights and has thrown me into a past; one where the time’s mindset, the day’s weather, and the activity’s sensations could be re-lived. Archiving my thoughts and life has shown me where I have been physically and emotionally and has helped me decide clearly where I want to go. The utility of this documentation then reflection begins to resemble the basic idea of why we study history.

To the author;

Mr. Kirn, the beauty you see in the struggle of memory is the quality which makes us human, and behind that is the quality that makes us exist. We are beings of the now, limited to perceiving and acting upon the present moment. This limited access to the past, and unattainable knowing for the future is our biggest weakness. In some sci-fi story we could be all knowing beings; masters of time. In this reality, we are not. However, the tracking of our lives has the potential to broaden the extent of what we can recall from our lives. It can provide some existential outlook and perhaps bring us closer to being our own masters of our own universe. I encourage you to start your diary; it’s never too late.