The past is much closer than you think.
When you feel depressed or in pain, thinking of the past can be very soothing.
Do you remember the time you won that baseball game? First trip to Disney World? Your favorite episode of The Simpsons? Beatles songs?
Nostalgia fills you up with some joy of feeling special. We tweak the memory of blips and make it “perfect.”
But if you go too far, you will regret being born in your generation.
French novelist Marcel Proust once wrote, “Remembrance of things past is not necessarily the remembrance of things as they were.”
That’s what nostalgia really boils down to: surface over depth.
Nostalgia is usually associated with our childhood and the eras we weren’t around to enjoy.
I admit of having a nostalgic bug. For some years, I would read classic novels, listen to music from Frank Sinatra to the Beatles, and watch movies and television shows from the Golden Age.
But, I believe I would’ve snickered at it all if I had lived when those things were popular.
But it is so irresistible and comforting that it is frustrating.
“Nostalgia Marketing” has become the buzz term in the marketing industry.
Companies are selling their products with retro-looks and media is making profits from past pop-culture brands while social media sites are overflowing with memorabilia articles, lists and memes.
Almost every week, we see our past favorites revived.
Classic comic book characters, most from our grandparents’ time, have transformed into one of the most popular movie genres in the world.
Meanwhile, last year’s reboots of classic genre films like “Jurassic World,” “Mad Max” and “Star Wars” have scored big at the box-office.
T.V. shows are getting the reboot treatment as well, with “Fuller House” and “X-Files” just being the latest ones.
Period pieces such as “Mad Men,” “Downton Abbey” and “The Revenant” have gained increased attention and audiences around the country.
In the music business, vinyl records have resurfaced in the market and contemporary singers constantly cover old songs.
My questions: Why? How long will we use up our history? I see more of the past than I do of the present, or future.
Has our present become so bad that we rather re-live the past? Are we so confused about our current times that we rather associate with the past? What does this say about us?
We all have good and bad days. There are good movies, books and talented people out there.
And while it may take time, we should recognize those parts.
In the digital age, the past, present and future are everywhere – and in no particular order.
The present is no different than the past once was. We still read books, discuss race and sex, have corruption and strive to make ends meet. It just a generational trend to update the old.
History is essential to understand human conditions and other cultures. It helps us learn from previous mistakes and achievements.
But is it good to dwell on it?
