1st person vs, 3rd person view
I've been scanning through my memory 'still photos' (for the most part, I lack episodic videos), and I've noticed that almost every memory is in the third person / 'floating camera' view. The exceptions are moments that are very unique, thrilling, or terrifying.
I found a suicide jumper under a bridge on the way to work one day. This memory is in 1st person. The memories are 'still captures' though, no video.
I was nearly in a horrific car accident. We hit black ice on the on ramp, spun around 180 degrees, and hit the median. I recall seeing thru my own eyes as we approached the barrier.
As a high school kid, I walked across a metal pipe balance beam in a local park. The drop was about 15 - 20 feet down to stone. I have a 'still image' of the pipe…
My emotions are pretty full, but my connections to others (the lack of common memories) is where it shows up for me.
The worst part seems to be that I don’t even know what I don’t know. I was watching a movie, and my wife made the comment that we had seen that movie at a drive-in theater. In 1 million years, I would’ve never guessed that we had seen that movie at a drive-in theater.
We were discussing our wedding in relation to my empty memories, and I was able to guess two of my groomsmen. And I disagree with her about other ones. Turns out that I had six groomsmen, but I only remembered two for sure… and those I knew had to be there (my brother, for example)