Ah, who doesn’t love the good old days! It is but the fond memories of the yore that keep us going even during the darkest of times. It is but the old fun times with friends and family that make us realize how much we love them and how only a shell of a human we would be without them. Truly, nostalgia is one of the best implicit feelings one can experience, regardless of how old or young one is, for an eight year old could miss the time when he was two and didn’t have to go to school.
Yet, on similar lines, too much nostalgia and ruin the present moment for many. Some people seem to keep living in the past with no present or future plans. For such people, usually the past is full of wonderful accomplishments and happy memories, but as soon as things take a turn for the worse, they somehow forget to work hard and persevere through the tough times and keep reminiscing about the yore.
This is a dangerous thing in itself. The reason past was good because they were not busy thinking about the further past and were actively working to make things better. But now, the fact that they are no longer living in the present moment only amplifies the problem. Memories and only give one a certain amount of comfort and one cannot live solely on the basis of memories, they need to go out and make new ones. For today’s struggle to make things better will make for some great memories and amazing stories to tell your grandchildren.
This was how too much nostalgia affects an individual’s personality, but does a collective nostalgia affect the society too? I’d say yes. Just look at how most movies have critically terrible yet financially successful sequels . The money hungry movie makers are desperate to feed off of people’s nostalgia and goodwill of a particular movie and churn out a mediocre product that’s guaranteed to sell. Almost every company has brought out a “classic” version of one or more of its products to cash in on the nostalgia hype train.
The biggest problem with nostalgia however, is that it makes the past look more glorious than it was and the present shittier than it actually is. For one, nostalgia overlooks difficulties. Sometimes, you just feel like you shouldn’t have let your ex leave and want to get back with them. Out of the said fond memories, you decide to give it another shot only to realize why you broke up in the first place and do it all over again. This is just a waste of both of you’s time, a time which could have been used to do something more productive.
This bias is the real reason why nostalgia is a bad thing. Every memory is distorted and amplified to ridiculous degree. An old TV show which was good at best is now considered great. A flu which you had in 6th grade is now considered as if the plague hit you. A school fistfight you witnessed is somehow the greatest boxing match there ever was. Such distortions, especially the positive ones, set unrealistic goals for the present which it obviously cannot live up to, hence ruining it.
Hence, while it is perfectly reasonable to muse about the past every once in a while, one should not let it dictate the terms of their life. Memories should not be mixed with actions. I, for one, love the good old days as much as the next guy, possibly even more, but I realize that making memories is more important than reminiscing about old ones.
If you like my work you can follow me on Twitter too. As always, I’m open to criticism about my writing (doesn’t have to be specifically constructive) and if you’d like to share tips or collaborate you can contact me.
Much love,
–SG
A post after a long time..
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I guess you can say that I wanted my readers to feel “nostalgic” about my posts. 😉
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😂😁
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Nice post.:) No criticism at all. Just *hugs* to make it nostalgic🤗
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Nostalgia just isn’t what it used to be! 😉
Joking aside, I love this post, it is spot on. We need to live in and appreciate the present. I know several friends who are stuck in their childhoods or in the 80’s and 90’s and they don’t seem to notice or care about what is happening now. It’s sad.
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Truly. Sadly this behavior only amplifies with increase in age.
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That is so true! Nostalgia blurred and reshapes memories in such a way that you know that there were bad times but you only remember the good ones. It’s good to remember of course but you must remember that the past is the past for a reason and today is for living. I love this ❤
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Completely agree with you here.
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Really nice
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Yes “Every memory is distorted.” Great post!
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great thought provoking post!!
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And that is one of the reasons why I hate feeling nostalgic. Because in my head, I instantly think, this is it. That was my peak and I can never be that happy again, which to be honest, is a quite shitty thing to think and be obsessed about the whole week. Nonetheless, it was nice hearing from you again.
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Yeah that too is a side effect. Nice to see you again too. 🙂
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Word. Many a types I tend to wander in the memory lane often forgetting to return. Speaking of movies are you referring to Judwaa 2?
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Not really. 😁 But if I had to pick a movie or movie series banking too much on nostalgia I’d pick “The Force Awakens”.
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My bad😂😂You referred something of the prequel being better than sequel, so I thought maybe this one
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Well that might be true too, but since I haven’t seen any of Judwaa’s parts I’d save my judgement.
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Not seen either of Judwas parts?? You haven’t missed a thing SG!! 🙂
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I know that. 😀
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Movies have gotten so repetitive! I was listening to the radio the other day and it was talking about how the 20-somethings like myself are into retro things. It’s like experiencing nostalgia for things we barely even had, it that makes sense. I think as we get older nostalgia becomes more present. I know at least for me it has. I reflect on my life often and how things have changed. Sometimes it helps me decide how to parent my own kids trying to give them some of the same feelings that I have had, like Santa coming in Christmas eve.
Great post as always SG!
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If* that makes sense
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On* Christmas eve. I really should slow down when typing on my phone haha
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Haha Jenn . Typing on the phone can be quite a challenge eh! 🙂
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Sometimes my fingers are faster than my brain. Other times my phone thinks what it wants haha
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Oh yes, your own nostalgic feelings can help shape your children too. That’s a fresh viewpoint. This way you can teach your children that the memories they’re making now are to be cherished forever, so live in the moment.
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This is true in many ways. I’m one of the few who grew up in the magical decades (80s, 90s), but I also try not to make that a distraction. Every now and then I remain silent due to unwanted moments where folks push the forgotten past onto you. When they resort to that, what’s the point of forgiveness or growth?
I try to teach today’s younger generation that to reminisce is a gift, so look for the good times; ignore the bad.
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Very true diamond. Making new memories is important, otherwise how will you miss the glorious 2010s when you’re in 2035?
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So True
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This was a good read, thanks for sharing
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What’s the point of making memories if you can’t reminisce about them? ???
The good part about nostalgia is that it brings back only the happy times of the past. That’s ok right? As long as we don’t try to stay back in those times…….
Great post as usual!!
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True true. Sometimes memories can trigger PTSD too but that’s unrelated since it doesn’t technically qualify as “nostalgia”. Other than that, reminiscing is fine as you’ve said.
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It’s is a wonderful blog ..loved it ..may be you would like to check out my new blog
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Do you have a new one?
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Yes i do😊
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I had one of those moments tonight but not in a good way….sometimes those moments really make me long for the past.
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Very nice post!
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Interesting Insight there. I think nostalgia is an easy place to escape to. It’s dangerous, though just like you mentioned. It can rearrange one’s memories and make them into a picture that wasn’t true then, but feels true now, brighter somehow and better even. You see, our pasts are like a movie that we get to edit. We can reminisce and break apart what once was and put it back together to represent something beautiful and get to decide how our past looks. It belongs to us. However, that rearranging can be a risky game to play with ourselves. We can rearrange until we make ourselves believe that our better days are behind us, that getting back to what was is better than looking forward to what will.
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Eloquently put Neal.
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Very interesting. I’ve sort of been struggling with this myself, nostalgia can make it hard sometimes to even make future plans. It’s hard to look ahead when your eyes are behind.
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Interesting. I love
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Thanks Unoma
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…to muse…not dictate terms of our life. Sure
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Hello there my blogging friend. I really enjoyed reading your post. I wanted to take this moment to let you know that I nominated you for the Blogger Recognition Award. For more details, please go to this link https://wp.me/pqffW-21I. Congratulations and it was my honor to nominate you!
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The example of movie and its sequel was very much correct. Anyways, I have read somewhere that we humans always want to live in a way that never makes us realize about our past and resisting to any changes. But that is bad in the long run.
Welcome back after a nostalgic post!
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Thank you. 🙂
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Really enjoyed this post – insightful, interesting and undoubtedly true! 🙂
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Haha thanks. 🙂
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I’ve been proving your point a lot lately sharing old shows with my child. Finally had to admit most of what I liked when I was that age wasn’t worth watching today. But there is still a lingering fondness . . . Thanks as always for the read!
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I am feeling this post….what an awesome reminder we can’t live in the past but we can visit sometimes ☺
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I nominated you, check it out
https://notesfromb.wordpress.com/2017/12/18/ive-been-nominated-for-the-liebster-award/
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I remember a one when nostalgia paralyzed me. I could not see the present nor future because of the past. I’m glad I realized that I was missing some great things now on the way to the future.
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Beautifully penned down 🌟
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Hi
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How are you? You are so quiet recently.
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I am fine bro, thanks for asking. It is nice to know that you remember me. What about yourself? How are you holding up?
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That’s good 🙂 of course I remember and thank you, I’m fine. I’m learning about making movies. It’s very interesting but it also takes a lot of time, so this is why I’m uploading only videoclips recently.
Take care and have a good time 🙂
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Ah. Would love to watch a movie directed by Amator Zycia a.k.a. Steven Spielberg Jr. 😀
All the best bro!
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I hope it will be soon 😀
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nowadays even the rain is pouring through the wifi hotspots and … weather sites 🙂https://emotiondepot.com/2017/12/26/the-weather-forecast/
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Very well explained.
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ah. Thank you so much Akanksha
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Nostalgia is mostly a ‘nasha’ a heady feeling of happiness for me that is how I associate with the word
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Beautiful lines..✨ “The biggest problem with nostalgia however, is that it makes the past look more glorious than it was and the present shittier than it actually is.”…This is what actually is ..
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Well that’s why I wrote it.
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I would love to re-blog this on a new blog I just started today with an old friend. Figured I should make an initial ask.
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Yeah sure, be my guest. 🙂
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Wow I love it and yes to the whole thing! Earlier I overheard my husband reminiscing about his childhood and kids today being bored and complaining and I am certain he and his cousins complained endlessly about the heat and being bored but remember it quite differently lol
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