Nostalgia

Nostalgia: Just today I spoke with a friend in between doors about Nostalgia, which can also be described as a deep longing, desire, and yearning. Jules in Brockmire calls it the most powerful drug in existence, and I couldn´t agree more.

If we sit with friends and family and memories come up that creates a nostalgic atmosphere it feels bittersweet to delve into all the feelings and emotions, we connect with that memory. We reflect and will call it Reflective Nostalgia, according to The Future of Nostalgia, by Svetlana Boym.

It’s great. Done

Not quite. What if we carry these nostalgic feelings with us into our day-to-day life and would want to recreate that very feeling again, we had then. So-called Restorative Nostalgia. Also, what if there are many of such deep longing, desires, yearnings that we carry around? What does that tell us?

Before we go there it might be interesting to look if those nostalgic feelings are true.
As with most memories they are likely not. At least not exactly as you want to remember them.

That’s simply in our nature and it’s good to recognize that. Also does a Nostalgic feeling not account for all life circumstances of that remembered period in life. Our mind is amazingly selective.

However nostalgic feelings do not only come up when we are with friends and family but also in different circumstances:

-Profound changes in life
-Depression
-Music
-Smells
-Memorabilia
-Pictures
-Loneliness

and the list could go on.

Reflective Nostalgia can have some positive properties and heighten our outlook for the future, give positive impulses and change our attitude towards challenges and other hurdles along the way.

It can help us to stabilize our worldview in times when profound changes are happening, and we feel we might lose control. It can make us creative or revitalize old relationships.  However, in this category, we understand fundamentally that the past is indeed past.

Restorative Nostalgia on the other hand is the longing for the recreation of the past. This desire can sit deep and can consume our entire being. Just like in being homesick. We connect expectations for the future with the past.

So again, what does it tell us when you have Restorative Nostalgia.
It tells us we don`t understand that the past is the past. And that something is wrong with our lives today and that we don`t know any other way to improve it but to investigate and recreate the past when there were happy times.

This is not a problem perse, that would be too easy, and I think we all had such notion. If they become repetitive and excessive, they do on the other hand threaten different aspects of our being.

First, we will realize soon that the outcome will not be as expected.
We eliminate the chance to grow with new experiences.
We lose a feeling for realism.
We might create a pattern, habit, that is difficult to break.
We lose the ability to create a unique vision based on our being today including future experiences.
It will divert us from our natural path in life

It becomes like trying to repair a modern car with the tools made for old ones.

It will not work.

Come Let`s Talk about it if you are prone to adopt a Restorative Nostalgia

Namaste

Armaan