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Gabriel Rolón: 'We Are What We Do With What Memories Made of Us'
🇦🇷 Argentina /Culture & Society

Gabriel Rolón: 'We Are What We Do With What Memories Made of Us'

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Interview Named sources Context piece
  • Psychologist Gabriel Rolón discusses the challenges of living in the present, cautioning against fixation on past happiness or future expectations.
  • He explains that memories are edited and idealized over time, which can prevent individuals from fully engaging with their current lives.
  • Rolón emphasizes that while past experiences shape identity, people retain the agency to build happiness in the present moment.

Psychologist and writer Gabriel Rolón offers a nuanced perspective on happiness, memory, and the struggle to inhabit the present moment. In an interview with LA NACION, Rolón cautioned against the pervasive pursuit of immediate results and quick fixes for well-being, advocating instead for a deeper understanding of memory, desire, and identity formation. "There are people who wish more to have been happy than to be happy," he stated, highlighting the risk of becoming trapped in nostalgia or perpetual anticipation of future joy.

There are people who wish more to have been happy than to be happy.

— Gabriel RolónGabriel Rolón discusses the tendency to idealize past happiness over experiencing present joy.

Rolón described memory as a "particular and enigmatic treasure," a repository for what has been lost, preserved against the finality of death. However, he noted that these recollections are not static. "We do a kind of editing, a 'photoshopping' of memories," he explained, observing that over time, people tend to idealize past moments, relationships, and life stages. "Our parents who are no longer with us transform into people perhaps nobler than they were, more sensitive. Our childhood can also transform into more beautiful places."

We do a kind of editing, a 'photoshopping' of memories.

— Gabriel RolónGabriel Rolón explains how memories are altered and idealized over time.

The core issue, according to Rolón, arises when individuals become overly attached to this reconstructed past, neglecting the potential for present happiness. "What was is already lost," he asserted, emphasizing that while past memories provide meaning and context for life's journey, they should not impede the pursuit of current well-being. "Let's not get off life ahead of time," he urged.

What was is already lost.

— Gabriel RolónGabriel Rolón emphasizes the irretrievable nature of the past.

Rolón stressed the importance of living in the present, even while acknowledging the role of future projects and dreams. He clarified that his caution is not against future aspirations but against the danger of perpetually postponing the possibility of present contentment. "We are what we do with what the memories made of us," he concluded. This suggests that while memories and experiences shape individuals, they do not entirely dictate the capacity to cultivate happiness here and now.

Let's not get off life ahead of time.

— Gabriel RolónGabriel Rolón encourages active engagement with life in the present.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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