The word nostalgia comes from the Greek words “nostos” and “algos” and means something like “acute homesickness.” The word was, apparently, coined in the 17th century “to describe the anxieties displayed by Swiss mercenaries fighting away from home.” It has since evolved, however, to take on a broader definition which encompasses the dimension of time.
We just lost my grandmother who was 103. Looking back at videos and pictures of her is painful, but I wouldn’t give up the experience for the world. It’s like she’s not really gone. So in a way it’s comforting, while still being painful if that makes sense. In general, I feel like I’m a nostalgic person. I spend a lot of time thinking about things that have happened and being grateful for them. I also spend time regretting things too, obviously, but trips to Disney and hanging out at the beach make up a lot of my happy memories and I spend a lot of time there in those memories. I think for me part of this is that I have such great anxiety about the future that I find comfort in the past.
I'm so nostalgic sometimes it feels like a character flaw. But over time, I've realized that it's part of trying to understand myself. Why some decisions I was afraid to make ended up being good, and why others were darkly, hilariously bad. Example: When Dana and I got together 23 years ago this month, many things about the situation felt like we were both making a series of very bad decisions. Yet now they look like unexpectedly great ones, and I do a lot of mental rummaging around to try and figure out how I stumbled into a life I always wanted to have, (at least most of it; I'd still like to have a lot more money than I do). It's qualified, though. I have tons of nostalgia for my childhood and my family, and I still try to understand who I was in that context, but at the same time, losing two siblings and my mom has turned that sort of nostalgia into something I keep at arm's length.
So...I don't know. I'm okay with my tendency toward nostalgia and accept that it's just part of how I'm made, and there's a good side to it for me--gaining perspective on my life now. I think many people may be nostalgic for similar reasons--seeking understanding, context, self-knowledge, and insight. That said, with the deaths of loved ones and friends, going back to my best friend's death when I was 18, nostalgia becomes much more complex and even something I make a conscious effort to avoid, sometimes.
This is how I experience large extended family interactions. Everyone wants to reminisce and bathe in the memories, while I have no interest and in fact withdraw from the conversation. It’s unsettling.
Lovely contemplation. I may know why you’d rescue the photos- you would be rescuing your wife, whose memories are stored in them. And maybe a part of you holds close to your past as a father of small children. Our histories are always complicated.
We just lost my grandmother who was 103. Looking back at videos and pictures of her is painful, but I wouldn’t give up the experience for the world. It’s like she’s not really gone. So in a way it’s comforting, while still being painful if that makes sense. In general, I feel like I’m a nostalgic person. I spend a lot of time thinking about things that have happened and being grateful for them. I also spend time regretting things too, obviously, but trips to Disney and hanging out at the beach make up a lot of my happy memories and I spend a lot of time there in those memories. I think for me part of this is that I have such great anxiety about the future that I find comfort in the past.
Seems like I need to spend A LOT more time at Disney. Very sorry about your grandmother.
I'm so nostalgic sometimes it feels like a character flaw. But over time, I've realized that it's part of trying to understand myself. Why some decisions I was afraid to make ended up being good, and why others were darkly, hilariously bad. Example: When Dana and I got together 23 years ago this month, many things about the situation felt like we were both making a series of very bad decisions. Yet now they look like unexpectedly great ones, and I do a lot of mental rummaging around to try and figure out how I stumbled into a life I always wanted to have, (at least most of it; I'd still like to have a lot more money than I do). It's qualified, though. I have tons of nostalgia for my childhood and my family, and I still try to understand who I was in that context, but at the same time, losing two siblings and my mom has turned that sort of nostalgia into something I keep at arm's length.
So...I don't know. I'm okay with my tendency toward nostalgia and accept that it's just part of how I'm made, and there's a good side to it for me--gaining perspective on my life now. I think many people may be nostalgic for similar reasons--seeking understanding, context, self-knowledge, and insight. That said, with the deaths of loved ones and friends, going back to my best friend's death when I was 18, nostalgia becomes much more complex and even something I make a conscious effort to avoid, sometimes.
This is how I experience large extended family interactions. Everyone wants to reminisce and bathe in the memories, while I have no interest and in fact withdraw from the conversation. It’s unsettling.
Lovely contemplation. I may know why you’d rescue the photos- you would be rescuing your wife, whose memories are stored in them. And maybe a part of you holds close to your past as a father of small children. Our histories are always complicated.
Whoa, whoa, whoa - you're acting like I read the article. I DID NOT!