If I had kept a journal, I could go back through it and check up on what memory reports plausibly but not necessarily truly. But keeping a journal then would have been like making notes while going over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Eventless as our life was, it swept us along. Were we any less a Now Generation that the one that presently claims the title? I wonder. And it may be just as well that I have no diary to remember by. Henry James says somewhere that if you have to make notes on how a thing has struck you, it probably hasn't struck you.
The author reflects on the idea of keeping a journal as a way to capture memories, likening the experience to the perilous journey of going over Niagara Falls in a barrel. He suggests that even though their lives felt uneventful, they were still swept along by the currents of existence. This raises the question of whether their generation is significantly different from the present one claiming that title.
He expresses uncertainty about the value of having a diary to rely on for memories. Quoting Henry James, he suggests that if one needs to take notes to remember how an experience impacted them, then perhaps it did not leave a meaningful impression in the first place. This sentiment emphasizes a deeper contemplation on the nature of memory and experience.
