An akrasia confession: every so often, I unintentionally remember what should have been very, very minor embarrassments from years and years ago, maybe in front of people I never knew at all well—sometimes complete strangers. I’m probably the only one on Earth who has any recollection about these incidents at all. Still, to this day, I find myself mortified.
P.S. That doesn’t let you off the hook, ewang. I am appalled and disgusted at your comment. Indeed, my mind is truly boggled. Hide your head in shame.
I was under the impression most people got that, but I’m realizing now that was more due to famous quotes to that effect rather than any more direct or reliable evidence.
I was under the impression that most people got that too. In fact I had heard, and thought credible, that of all the emotions that we experience it is embarrassment that we are most able to remember the visceral experience of down the track. Other experiences lose their emotional intensity a lot more rapidly.
I do this too. Lately I’ve been having a lot of fun with the reduction of personal identity, so sometimes I try to console myself with the thought that because lots of people have said lots of stupid things in lots of years, the fact that I said something stupid the other year is just a trivial special case—my embarrassment is not uniquely important, and not really news. Somehow I fail to be consoled.
An akrasia confession: every so often, I unintentionally remember what should have been very, very minor embarrassments from years and years ago, maybe in front of people I never knew at all well—sometimes complete strangers. I’m probably the only one on Earth who has any recollection about these incidents at all. Still, to this day, I find myself mortified.
P.S. That doesn’t let you off the hook, ewang. I am appalled and disgusted at your comment. Indeed, my mind is truly boggled. Hide your head in shame.
P.P.S. Not really.
I get that too. It does seem like an odd thing to happen. I wonder if most people get that or just some subset.
I was under the impression most people got that, but I’m realizing now that was more due to famous quotes to that effect rather than any more direct or reliable evidence.
I was under the impression that most people got that too. In fact I had heard, and thought credible, that of all the emotions that we experience it is embarrassment that we are most able to remember the visceral experience of down the track. Other experiences lose their emotional intensity a lot more rapidly.
I do this too. Lately I’ve been having a lot of fun with the reduction of personal identity, so sometimes I try to console myself with the thought that because lots of people have said lots of stupid things in lots of years, the fact that I said something stupid the other year is just a trivial special case—my embarrassment is not uniquely important, and not really news. Somehow I fail to be consoled.