Prompt of the Day

As a person who has loved history since childhood, I can say that it is very easy for me to feel nostalgic. It is a feeling I really like to have because comparing past and present, in my honest opinion, is the wisest way to make good choices for the future. Since very early in life, thoughts about the past have existed in my mind and I have always been attracted by older things. All sorts of old things: films, objects, photos, places, elderly people.

I also have the kind of escapism feeling of thinking about the past as a better place, when things were so much simpler and easier. I know this thought is definitely a trap and I do my very best for not romanticizing the past by reminding of all problems people faced. A good example that the past was not as sweet as we imagine is World War 1 and World War 2. If the world was so wonderful, those things would not have happened, among many other tragedies throughout history. However, I think it is just human that we imagine a place or an era when things are great so we can mentally escape our reality.

Something concrete that makes me so nostalgic is the classic films I love so much, especially the silent films. Sure, despite all problems we face nowadays, we have much more comfort and better healthcare than the previous generations, but seeing the slower pace of life, the extra time people had to do things is so captivating. I reach a point of physically relaxing while seeing those old films merely because the films themselves were slower. This is why I love to watch films in the evening, after a hard day at work because it properly prepares my body to relax before going to bed.

I also get nostalgic when I see really old constructions. It does not matter if it is a monument, a building, a house, etc. It is just enough that it was constructed a very long time ago. I find myself imagining how it was constructed, who lived in those places, who worked there and it is another very relaxing experience to me. It is funny that I have those nostalgic thoughts since I was a little kid. It is as if I have always longed for a past that I do not know specifically what it is, but I am certain it existed. A time when I was in touch with nature, in a slower life, when I freely went to places day and night. Of course it is just an idealization of things I would like to do, but the thought sometimes is so strong that it is as if I had already done those things.

I do not reject the present time by any means. I only do not like the increased urban violence and worse unemployment rates, but I know that people had terrible problems in the past and basic comforts that we take for granted were non existing. Another point is that nowadays we are much more well-informed than in the past. I do think that the current time gives people lots of opportunities and, if things seem oppressive, it is probably because some people and groups life a harsh reality. But if they had a chance to live in this world in a better reality, their lives would be much better.

There is a sentence that says: “The past is a place of reference, not a place of residence”. We cannot dwell in the past because it makes people depressed. It is good as a reference to make our choices for the future and learn with our mistakes and it is all. In all eras we have good things and chances of being happy, no matter how difficult things can be and we should use our current resources to make something beautiful with them. It is always possible to do so. For example, we live in an unprecedented revolution in communications brought by the internet, among many other cool stuff. We should make the most of the positive factors, adjust to our lives and life to the full.