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A Crystal Clear Memory
At the age of almost 80, Eva and Jan have been friends for 67 years and are best friends for 8 years. Being best friends means in their case ruthless honesty about the appearance, memories, dementia, prostate and why weight, blood pressure and blood sugar sometimes is out of balance. Often their long discussions emerge from something that one of them has spontaneously expressed. It can be a point of view, positive or negative, on themselves, on a television participating, in any of their children or grandchildren or any friend or acquaintance.
Analyzes and opinions go back to the 1940s. Eve's long-term memory has been surprisingly well preserved after a stroke a decade ago. Her short memory however is blamed for things that do not work, for placement valuables and for periods not kept. They have become addicted to these recurring conversations that fluctuate between facts and psychotherapeutically grounded emotions and thoughts. They take inspiration from books, TV shows, spontaneous memory fragments and from factual information via the Internet / Google.
Eva sometimes states that she speaks without thinking. By that she means single words and sentences that can be her spontaneous response to a biting comment from Jan about someone or something. This causes the flame of their analytical desire to flame up and they produce in-depth analyzes of both Eva's intuitive reactions and Jan's sharp statements.
For almost 8 years, with this form of in-depth analysis, they have dug out and straightened their lives back to early childhood. Eva's long solid experience from the academic world of research duels with Jan's experience from 40 years of continuous contact with Arthur Janov, The Innovator of The Primal Scream, and from a career as a crisis consultant in business. Together, they are provided with practical and theoretical human knowledge that favors their therapeutic ambitions. Many of their dormant memories have been restored to living new-old memories over the past 8 years. All details need not be exact, but evoked memories must feel right. Not infrequently the emotions cause it to shed a tear or provoke a disarming laugh.
Regarding the accuracy of memory, associations that can be proven are sometimes evoked. When Eva said the other day: "I talk without thinking," suddenly in Jan's memory came a famous philosophical phrase: "I think, so I am." As soon as he uttered the phrase, the name Descartes appeared in his brain. As usual Jan googled Descarte's claim and had his memory confirmed in detail.
The memory had surprisingly and elegantly presented both the philosopher's name and his statement. The process of Descartes, "I think, thus I am" and the confirmation via the internet boosted his self-esteem and his confidence in his memory which, with age's right, sometimes falters. Jan thought it was this year's Christmas present from Eva and another memory to preserve.
Encouraged by Descartes, Jan stated, without being able to prove the logic, that Eva should think, since she is…
Jan Johnsson
Lund on December 21, 2019
