志异 Draft by Drama box december 2013 (english) | Page 17
this
asingly
miliar
ape, it is
only
sible to
ce the
d of past
tions —
ur own
hood is
pearing
ckly.
the power of imagination, how
the mind is capable of filling
up with details when only given
an outline. So we can never
be sure how much accuracy is
retained when someone describes
his/her memory. When we are
relating our memories, we are
inevitably constructing and
reconstructing our experiences.
Let me put it this way: When a
person decides to narrate his
or her memories, the narration
is by nature literary.
Memory, as a record
of an event from a person's
perspective, is always
subjective; a different
participant in the same event
might experience it differently.
The term ‘collective memory’ is
misleading, it is simply a story
or narrative that a group of
people agree upon. History is
never objective, simply because
of the subjective nature of
memory.
Ah, I have digressed…
My dear S, when I was in Macau
earlier this year for a theatre
festival, I saw a lot of
beautiful colonial buildings
in that small city. It is
one of the most prominent
characteristics of the city.
I remember as I walked along
the streets, I was wondering,
‘What is it like to grow up
in a city full of history and
memories? Would the people
here be indifferent to these
historical buildings, like
how we in Singapore are numb
to the ever-changing city
landscape? If these buildings
had to be torn down for
whatever reasons, how many
people would support it,
and how many would oppose?’
My dear S, the question
of identity is a pressing
one for this generation of
Singaporeans with such shallow
memories. In order to find our
answers, we can only try to
retain any carrier of our
memories, and sometimes we even
go to the extent of creating
and reshaping our memories.
My dear S, I think there is
a reason for our impatience —
for no one likes living like
a homeless vagabond …