Olivia Zimmerman ‘29
Staff Writer
I can sometimes picture those fuzzy moments—splashes of light and color that take shape in my memory. People and places that weave their way into my mind, somehow melding the past into the present. We can’t escape nostalgia; it always has a way of integrating itself into our reality, and really, is that such a bad thing? I think it’s wonderful to have moments worth missing, and perhaps it is only human nature to idealize moments of our past and childhood. Nostalgia, however, can become a problem when it prevents us from living in the present.
I think of Halloween, because it is that time of year again when the leaves are crisp, and the air is cool. I can’t help but think about my childhood, when holidays felt so real and immersive. I, of course, still love Halloween time, but it certainly doesn’t feel the same anymore. I find myself missing the way it felt when I was a kid—almost as though the air was different back then. But the funny thing is, I find myself feeling nostalgic for times that I was missing a past time in my life. Perhaps we don’t realize that the moments we are experiencing now—the ones that feel tainted by adulthood and a strange sense of reality—may soon become idealizations in our memories, a part of our lives that we will one day miss.
As much as I think being nostalgic is a wonderful thing, I believe it comes with balance. On one side of the scale, there is too little: in some ways, a free and unchained existence, but also an apathetic one. On the other side, there is too much, a way of life in which the present is never fully the present, as the past is always beside us, not so much as a companion but instead a sort of shadow. There is benefit in experiencing nostalgia in the “middle,” allowing it to accompany us but not consume us. It is certainly healthy to reminisce on our memories; after all, we would not be who we are without these precious moments. Nostalgia is a beautiful thing—a manifestation of childhood comfort and ease that seeps into our current existence. That being said, we can experience nostalgia while also having appreciation for the present. For the life that we are living and for the moments that are being constructed. We are our past, but we are also our present and our future; who are we if we cannot allow ourselves to exist in the moment rather than in our memories?
I find it interesting how big corporations seem to have caught on to the power of nostalgia. Think of many of the recent movies that have come out; they capitalize on nostalgia, using it as a tool to appeal to individuals. And it makes sense: a lot of these movies do so well at the box office simply because they are reiterations of stories that have been told before—ones we love and have formed attachments to. Similarly, advertising often incorporates nostalgic elements. Recently, I saw a McDonald’s ad that depicted the childhood memories of dropping fries in between the car seats during a road trip, an occurrence that has happened to many of us. This isn’t the only company that has used nostalgia as a selling device for their products; many others have utilized a similar strategy. I think this goes to show how much of an impact nostalgia has on our daily lives, whether we realize it or not. So much so that our purchases and recreational activities such as movie-watching are influenced by it.
This isn’t to say that nostalgia is something that should be pushed out of our lives or suppressed in some capacity. Rather, it is an acknowledgement that it is carried with us, influencing our day-to-day experiences. I think we can appreciate nostalgia while also being able to live in the present—to strike a balance that allows the past to bleed into our current state but only to a certain extent. In doing so, we can appreciate the past without letting it put blinders on the joys we are experiencing in the moment, for our present may one day become a piece of our treasured memories.
Image courtesy of Unsplash
Leave a Reply