Is Nostalgia Keeping Us Living In The Past?

<p>Are you living in the past? Do you long for the good old days? Do you wish things were like they used to be?</p> <p>That longing for aspects of our personal lives framed in the past is a feeling shared by many.</p> <p>We are confronted by the dichotomy of nostalgia: the sweetness of remembering the best of times and the sadness of knowing that they are gone forever. The irreversibility of time makes sure of that.</p> <p>There is a line in the song&nbsp;<em>Paul is Alive</em>&nbsp;by the American Indy Rock duo El Vy that from the moment I heard it I thought it was brilliant:</p> <blockquote> <p>&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t waste your life wishing everything was like it was.&rdquo;</p> </blockquote> <h2>Personal nostalgia vs. Historical nostalgia</h2> <p>Personal nostalgia is a very comforting emotion. It takes us back to aspects of our life that we have already experienced and have stored in our memory. For example, it can transport us to a time when we were loved unconditionally by family and friends.</p> <p>For some of us who are old enough to have grown up in the 1950s, when we wish for the good old days we are experiencing&nbsp;<strong>personal nostalgia</strong>&nbsp;attached to memories of carefree summers, new friends, or school experiences we enjoyed at that time.</p> <p>A young Millennial on the other hand would likely see the 1950s as&nbsp;<strong>historical nostalgia</strong>, related to a comparison with the present.</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/@Peekassoh/is-nostalgia-keeping-us-living-in-the-past-9c326dfe4deb">Visit Now</a></p>