I am someone who just gets lost or stuck in my head. One of the horrible consequences for me is that I long for he past. I tend to see the past through rose colored lenses....except for bible college.
Like all things for me there are ways to remember good memories in a way that is helpful or harmful. I believe, and I think most reasonable people will agree, that any nostalgia that leads to discontentment in the present and makes me long for and value more the people from my past than the people around me now, that that breed is nostalgia is harmful and not helpful.
I tend to always go there.
But it can't be bad to often think about the past with fondness. We seemed to be designed to have chemical reactions to taste and smell that bring back specific memories. For some reason old people just have a smell, not anything I can ever pinpoint, but a certain smell that brings me back to the gang other and grandfather Naylor. Eating eggos and/or golden grahms and watching tv on a giant zenith television. I do not believe this is a symptom of our current state.
I have been thinking all week, more like reminded, that we seemed to be drawn into something bigger than ourselves. We need something to belong to and we need something to join in. Christians call it worship and church, most the world would call it purpose or even calling and community. It doesn't matter what we call it and I promise I'll bring this full circle soon. He point is we are made for two basic things that don't normally happen. Could it be that nostalgia is as much biological as it is metaphysical? That our bodies are longing for these moments that seems to bring us joy?
I need to see use my nostalgic moments as motivation to look for opportunities to create moments now that will be sweet memories later with those around me. In short I think nostalgia is supped to exist to help us to love other and live bigger.
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