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Nostalgia, is a national disease?

TheCatWoman

The Good Old Days, when things were all rosy and better.

The Good Old Days, when we had real music, etc etc

It seems to me that nostalgia is a sort of national disease, we keep harping back to it as some golden age, except it wasn't really and every generation has it's Golden Age.. I was struck by nostalgia for the 1990's, I mean really, what was so great about the nineties?

I think this constant harping on about how great things were years ago, stops us moving forward, it stops us investing in the future, personally, politically and in thingd like our infrastructure and buildings.

I'm an historian by training and I hate nostalgia, for its distortions, the way it stops us being honest about the past, the effects it's had upon us and the world and the lengths we will go to to protect it's leftovers. I do think think archaelogical sites should be protected and historic buildings, but that should stop us from investing in the new. The past should inform the present, we should learn its lessons, and build a better future, even if it's just in our architecture and music.

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  • TheCatWoman said:
    I was struck by nostalgia for the 1990's, I mean really, what was so great about the nineties?

    There were plenty of good things but it all depended on your lived experience.

    I got to leave a bad long term relationship I was trapped in, my career was the best it ever got to be (travelling the world business class and with a 6 figure salary), I had independence, wealth, recognition and had adapted my home to cater to all my interests (motorbikes, music, home entertainment system, computer workshop etc).

    I don't consider it a disease to look back to when things were good and miss them.

    TheCatWoman said:
    I think this constant harping on about how great things were years ago, stops us moving forward, it stops us investing in the future, personally, politically and in thingd like our infrastructure and buildings.

    I don't believe this is nostalga holding it back, but rather our short term thinking. We are not willing to spend extra now to make things better in 10 or 20 years when everyone seems to be saying "what's in it for me now?"

    There is much less willingness to make a sacrefice today for some future benefit when it is you having to make the sacrefice. Everyone seems to have developed a victim mentality and feels hard done by if this happens.

    There is much less appreciation for the bigger picture or the "greater good" as people have just become more selfish.

  • in reply to Iain

    I agree the 90's had opportunities and I trebled my salary in 5 years. From '95 onwards it got better. I travelled in business class then.

    I also had my first burnout, got traumatized, broke up etc. so it was not all good.

    People were more social and interacted more, which is what I think people miss. 

    Every period has good bits. I think it is also true that we have a lot of change for the sake of change. I see some things are worse, but also many things are better.

    I don't think it is wrong to say some things are worse.

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  • in reply to Iain

    I agree the 90's had opportunities and I trebled my salary in 5 years. From '95 onwards it got better. I travelled in business class then.

    I also had my first burnout, got traumatized, broke up etc. so it was not all good.

    People were more social and interacted more, which is what I think people miss. 

    Every period has good bits. I think it is also true that we have a lot of change for the sake of change. I see some things are worse, but also many things are better.

    I don't think it is wrong to say some things are worse.

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