Coexistence Corner

What is Nostalgia?

By Nate Feldman

Note: This session I am teaching definition essays.  We are taking different terms, such as crime, workaholism, happiness, and anxiety and trying to find detailed definitions of these terms.  Below is my definition of "nostalgia," something that has affected myself and most human beings.  

Do you ever find yourself returning to some place you liked going in your childhood?  It could be a park you hung out with your friends at or your family's favorite restaurant?  When you go back, do you try and relive the moments you had as if you were experiencing these same moments for a second time?  I know I have done these sort of things.  I often take vacations to places that played an important part of either my childhood or younger adult years.  The thing that leads us to doing these sort of things is what we refer to as nostalgia.  Nostalgia is a huge part of the human experience and most people experience it at one time or another.  But what specifically do I mean by nostalgia?

Nostalgia is the deep longing to return to a time from the past.  It is looking back at things that have happened before and trying to experience them for a second time.  When I think about it, nostalgia is a real doubled-edged sword as there are very many positive attributes to it and many negatives ones as well.  So, I will delve deeper into this and define what I call "good nostalgia," and what I call, "bad nostalgia."

Good nostalgia is showing appreciation for the things that came before and making sure that our past is not completely forgotten.  Let's say you have a group of friends who like to gather at a popular cafe on weekends.  Then, these friends haven't seen one another for many years.  When they get together again, they return to that same cafe because they have such fond memories of it.  Good nostalgia shows appreciation for the bonds of friendship and the place where that friendship was at its strongest.

Bad nostalgia, on the other hand, is the false promise that we can return to a time long since passed and relive things that are gone and can never return again.  You usually see this type of nostalgia in politics.  Many leaders play the nostalgia card to rally the masses to their cause.  They say if they are their leader, they will return to the greatness that once existed as if that time was really as great as they are saying.  This kind of longing for the past has led to war and far worse throughout history.

Nostalgia can be a healthy part of the human experience.  It teaches us to always remember and appreciate things from our past.  At the same time, people must also realize that the past is the past and cannot be relived again.  Respect the past, don't relive it.