Memory & Confabulation

I posted this on the W&T site.

“I wonder if Paul Dunn deserved all the grief he go from his stories. He told them so many times they likely morphed into what at the end was far from the truth but at the same time I doubt it was his intent to lie or mislead.

In another example of what you’re talking about a missionary friend of my wife told an inspiring story at a fireside and as a result her future husband who was there became enraptured with her, justifiably so, and they were later married. The problem was that she only realized later that it was my wife that was there in the story and not her.”

The other thing I’ve thought of since reading this post is about my recollections of the things I’ve done in my life and the things I regret. Hopefully they’re not as bad as I recall or that God’s memory is a bit more selective in a merciful way.

A very good post. I often wonder how much of my cumulative memory is simply made up. It reminds me of a story I heard some years ago about some guy attempting to document his life by a series of photographs taken from his perspective at one minute intervals. Maybe keeping a journal would be easier, but in either case, subjectivity will invariably assert itself. This is closely related (though I am at a loss to explain exactly how, at the moment) to the reason why things like questions about the historicity of the BoM don’t seem to bother me any more.

What a great question. I know when I wrote my book, “Prayers for Johnathan” about my gay son 10 years ago, I kept a running journal so I could write things down as they happened. I also had my son and the Danish youth I wrote my book with, proof read it to make sure the stories and information was accurate. They both approved the draft and ok’d the publication. Now my son just read it again and doesn’t even remember alot of the stuff that happened or says, “That did not happen that way.”

I have been wanting to read, “In Sacred Lonliness” and have read some of the polygamy stories and that has really bothered me. It has made me loose my faith in JS being a good man—or at least he had some real problems. But, I am getting less judgmental because I realize we really weren’t there or can know all the facts.

Okay Doug, I won’t get carried away. Sounds like you are making it work for you, and that’s good.

Bridget — how would I find your book?

Thanks for asking about my book cwald. I sent you a private message.

I’ve been out of town for a couple of days – visiting my daughter at college with my wife and other daughters.

I remember reading someone suggesting somewhere that we all need a break sometimes from even things that are good overall . . . 😆