Do we love or hate nostalgia?
This is the last blog I’ll be writing, yay! In retrospect, writing blogs every week for an entire month has been quite enjoyable, although I am often late in submitting my write-ups, haha. For my last topic, this was suggested to me by a close friend of mine one evening. I’ll try to answer that question based on my own perspective.
So, what do we mean by nostalgia, anyway?
Nostalgia is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.”
But if you were to ask me on a deeper level what nostalgia is, I’d tell you that—nostalgia is that gentle whisper from the past, like a soft breeze that carries the scent of memories long forgotten. It's the warmth of a summer evening spent playing in the backyard when you were young, the laughter of friends who have since taken different paths, or the taste of your parents' most precious dish that you only eat during the holidays.
Nostalgia is a bittersweet longing for times gone by, a yearning for moments that can never be relived. It's the feeling of flipping through old photo albums, where every picture tells a story of love, loss, and the passing of time.
Yet, nostalgia also brings a tinge of melancholy, a reminder that those carefree days are now nothing more than memories. It's the realization that life moves forward, leaving behind the simplicity and innocence of yesteryears. As we look back, we see the beauty of what has been lost, and the ache of longing becomes almost palpable. Still, nostalgia remains a cherished companion, a bridge between our past and present. It teaches us to appreciate the beauty in impermanence and to hold dear the moments that make life worth living.
Wow, quite descriptive, eh? Well, that’s how nostalgia works. Nostalgia is cruel and unforgiving because almost anything can evoke this haunting feeling. For instance, every time I walk past the room that was once our classroom, I still get flashes of the moments that happened there, despite it taking place years ago. Sometimes, I remember my younger self and reminisce about the things I often did back then. Funny how nostalgia just floods your mind out of the blue, right?
Truth be told, you have no control over nostalgia. I mean, our minds often associate something or someone with a certain memory and the emotion it evokes, and when that happens, I’m telling you—you can’t do anything to block it from playing in your head. Now that I feel a crushing sense of nostalgia, what can I do, then? To answer you, I’d say feel it at its fullest, because you never know when you’ll feel it again. Cliché, right? But you’ll only realize it until you think about it years later, and suddenly the thoughts of “maybe I stayed a little longer” or “maybe I should’ve said something more” keep you awake at night.
Well, nostalgia is good because it has a way of making us feel connected to our past selves and the people we shared those moments with. It can be a comforting escape from the complexities of the present, as it offers a sense of familiarity and peace. In a sense, nostalgia is a reminder of how you’ve lived your life and how you’ve loved the people who came and became a part of your life.
One afternoon during our filming period, we were making our way out of the mall, and I had my phone ready for a photo. I jokingly asked my friends if we could take a photo, to which one of them said, “Bakit para kang tatay mag-picture?” Then it dawned on me, yes, they were right—I look like a parent whenever I’m asking my friends if I could take a photo of them. But, you know what? As I checked my old digital camera and my phone gallery, I realized something: I photographed my friends a lot, like, a lot. Most of these were just mundane and candid moments of them doing whatever they were doing, but hey, I took a photo of them. Haha, this one’s going to hurt, isn’t it? Perhaps I only photograph the things that I’m afraid of losing the most. (Teka nga, sandali) — Guys, medyo nagd-drama na’ko, hahahaha.
But, you know, nostalgia can also be a double-edged sword. It can make us yearn for something that can never truly be recaptured, leaving us with a lingering sense of longing. Sometimes, it blinds us to the beauty of the present and the possibilities of the future. Nostalgia only needs to be a delicate balance between cherishing memories and moving forward. Perhaps the best way to view nostalgia is as a reminder of where we've been, rather than a blueprint for where we're going. Just don’t over-romanticize the memories you’ve had with someone, because when you’re sober, you’ll realize just how romanticized they were inside your head. Been there, done that—don’t do that.
So, if you were to ask me—do I love or hate nostalgia? I’d tell you this: nostalgia is truly one of humanity’s greatest weaknesses. I mean, I have a love-hate relationship with nostalgia. Nostalgia is merely memories without the details; it’s just a very strong feeling of longing for what has happened in the past that can never be relived again.
Comments
Post a Comment