The nature of nostalgia
I wanted to say something here. It won't take long.
Nostalgia has lost some of its charm for me.
I imagine that people from other generations won't necessarily relate, but for people our age, most "longing for the past" seems to take the shape of movies and music. The problem I find lately is that everything is readily available. If I say, "Man, I loved that movie when I was growing up!" chances are that it's playing somewhere on one of the 4000 cable channels that now exist. When I experience this, my memory feels somehow cheapened. It's difficult to romanticize something when it's constantly in you face. There's definitely something to be said for 4 static-y stations in black and white. Maybe that's what I long for now: the opportunity to long....
Nonetheless, I think nostalgia of one sort or another is hardwired into the human brain. That's why there are so many crotchety old men out there saying, "They just don't make 'em like they used to," even if they make 'em better than they used to. But with every piece of information and art ever created by the hand of man as close as the touch of a button, I wonder what our children will be nostalgic for...?
"Go away. Give me a chance to miss you."
Nostalgia has lost some of its charm for me.
I imagine that people from other generations won't necessarily relate, but for people our age, most "longing for the past" seems to take the shape of movies and music. The problem I find lately is that everything is readily available. If I say, "Man, I loved that movie when I was growing up!" chances are that it's playing somewhere on one of the 4000 cable channels that now exist. When I experience this, my memory feels somehow cheapened. It's difficult to romanticize something when it's constantly in you face. There's definitely something to be said for 4 static-y stations in black and white. Maybe that's what I long for now: the opportunity to long....
Nonetheless, I think nostalgia of one sort or another is hardwired into the human brain. That's why there are so many crotchety old men out there saying, "They just don't make 'em like they used to," even if they make 'em better than they used to. But with every piece of information and art ever created by the hand of man as close as the touch of a button, I wonder what our children will be nostalgic for...?
"Go away. Give me a chance to miss you."