#2 The Good and Bad of Nostalgia
Nostalgia
We've all heard songs, seen pictures, or reconnected with people that take us back to an earlier, sometimes happier point in our lives. One of my personal examples would be the song "Journey to the End of the East Bay" by Rancid, it always brings me back to the earlier High School days when me and my buddies couldn't decide how many punk bands we wanted to start. Nostalgia is a really great thing, until it isn't.
If you're anything like me, you may spend a lot of time looking through old photos reminiscing on fun times you've had in the past. It's nice to look back every once in a while, but getting caught up in the past too often can definitely create its own set of problems.
One of the biggest problems I've faced while always looking back at the past, is worsened depression. I'll constantly catch myself thinking about my old friends and all the memories we made, missing those memories almost always ends up screwing with my mood. This has been a really big issue with me recently.
I feel like we can get way too caught up in old memories instead of going out and making more memories. It's really comfortable to look back at simpler and happier times, especially when we're going through rough times. There's absolutely nothing wrong with appreciating those times, but it goes back to the very cliche saying "Don't be sad that it's over, be happy that it happened".
Overall, I think we all need to do better at living in the moment. It definitely sounds corny, but I feel like doing what you can to appreciate every moment you have is extremely vital to living your best life possible. It's more than okay to miss old times, just don't let it stop you from living your life.
Lane--Your blog is looking pretty good so far. You have some visual engagement with your text and layout, but don't forget about providing more engagement and support with images and links. You have some interesting content and ideas, but you are brief in your development and analysis at times. Keep thinking about rhetoric and how to lead your reader into your topic, build point and support, and close your entry. Keep developing and analyzing and connecting to your audience. Keep editing carefully. Good.
ReplyDeleteI 100% agree with you! I miss old friendships and times. But we can't forget to live for today and make new memories. The one thing I learned in my 28 years of life is that we cant change the past. It's amazing though, how a picture or songs can take you right back.
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