Nostalgia

Nostalgia, January 31, 2009

                What is nostalgia? Back to my good friend Webster, nostalgia isa wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition. I have seen it, nostalgia that is; grow a lot in our generation. I see it in everyday pop culture, fashion and music and ideas. I am not here to mock people yearning to return to a time in their life’s that may be simpler. I am just simply questioning the importance of relying on the ideals of those that came before us.

What was once popular in the times that we now call nostalgic, are still as vibrant as they once were in their hay day. People still listen to the music of Hendrix, Joplin, The Beatles, for what? Yes it is amazing music. But I wonder why we cling to the past? Are we afraid of the future? Or just don’t know how to make a culture of our own?

 I have come to this conclusion. We all want a second chance. We need that time in our life that passed us by to come back again. We need to remember the good memories. Remembering our past is living, and we all want to live more. So yes, I agree with this generation of nostalgic recollection. We even have the same ideologies of past leaders. Walk down the street and I will bet you, that you will see at least 10 people wearing a Che Guevara shirt, or even more prevalent is the recognizable face of Bob Marley. All want to be revolutionist, anarchist and rebels and leaders in their own respect. Granted all those mentioned above are enormous influences in every generation. But do we need to “borrow” the ideologies of others because we are afraid or not sure of our own impact on humanity? If any.

                “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” A wise man once said. But is repeating the past even that avoidable? Our mothers and fathers were once the rebels, anarchist, and revolutionaries that we aspire to be. And they also stood up to their parents the same way we do. We share the same fights, and have the aptitude to fight for what we believe. So I say yes. Live just like the past; continue the traditions and customs that our ancestors continued themselves. But always remember that there is a tomorrow, and we can only deepen the footprints of old, not create our own. That is, if you want to.