A run through history and memory...

        Is history affected by memory, or are they two separate branches of the mind that don't meet? Run with me and let's find out.

        The basics of history and memory is that they both deal with the past, they are both unique to each individual, and-most importantly-they are two separate branches. As explained, both history and memory are based on the premise that it already happened. The red light you ran yesterday is both in the history of your lifeline and a memory in your brain. Now you may remember the fact that you were late for a meeting and you were rushing to get there on time, but the cop down the road remembers it as a violation of the law. Both parties remember it differently, they have different memories of it. However, the OBJECTIVE history states that you ran a red light and deserve to be ticketed. The key point here is that history is objective while memory is subjective. Now can your subjective view of history alter the true history? Sure it can. If you were to explain why you were ticketed for running a light, you probably would have included the fact that you were late for a meeting. Therefore, you have affected your history of the light-incident as result of your memory.

       Still not sure that my argument makes sense? Well maybe this picture will help.

        Here we have multiple runners, running on a clocks shaped as gears. Start with the red runner. His gear-clock is being turned by green runner. It is safe to say that red runner's history is affected by green runner, because green runner is causing red runner's clock to rotate. Move on to blue runner now. His gear-clock is rotated by red runner, which was originally rotated by green runner. Blue runner remembers it as red runner rotating his gear-clock but history states that it was green runner. 

Blue runners memory states that red runner rotated his clock. Blue runner's memory is changing his view of history based upon memory.

        To sum it up, history is concrete. It happened. Memories, however, are a hammer-jack in the sense that they break apart history. The Holocaust happened. However, Vladek's memory and Hitler's memory of the Holocaust-I can guarantee you-are extremely different. For Vladek, the Holocaust was nothing but death and despair...which it was. For Hitler on the other hand, the Holocaust was a new beginning, Hitler had memories of pride and rebirth from the Holocaust, until he killed himself of course. Hitler's pride and new beginning memory affected the history of the Holocaust for many Germans at the time. So yes, memories can affect history, and it can affect history greatly.

        Memory and history co-exist, much like a runner does with running. They hate each other. Yet, one could not survive without the other. One will always affect the other, whether they choose to or not.