In this daring talk, Professor Elizabeth Loftus, brings to light the fallible nature of our memories. Rather than thinking of memories as recordings we must view them as “reconstuctions”. These reconstructions can be both creative and fallible leading to false memories.
This talk also highlights the fragility of the “stories” we tell ourselves. When we nurse hurts we build up a case mentally against our alleged perpetrators and how evil they are. We use our biases and selective recall of events to build up a “case” in our heads which may be largely fictional. This then continues to consume us and destroy our lives. That is why every religious and spiritual tradition advocates forgiveness and humilty so that we do not spend our lives and energies with false memories.