Nostalgia: Malady and Medicine
In just two short years, I will have graduated from High School twenty years ago. Time has passed quickly, to say the least. During this Advent season, as I reflect on the past, I realize that what feels recent to me is considered ancient history to most. I think back to the trends of the early 2000s - the tall tees, baggy jeans, matching headbands, and fitted caps. The Nike Air Force Ones with slouch socks to keep them in place, so the unwashed denim dye wouldn't ruin the fresh look. The G-Shock watch, cornrows braided to the back, and the du-rag worn either under the cap or around the neck. It all seems absurd now, just like the outfits in popular 80's movies seemed to me back then. But thinking about these ridiculous clothes also brings a smile to my face. As cliché as it may sound, those were simpler times.
As I approach middle age, I appreciate those simpler times more than ever. Nostalgia can be a helpful remedy to life’s over-complications. Watching an old movie or listening to an old song helps me see current complexities in the light of the simple joys from the past. Recently, during a trip to New York with friends, I experienced a rush of warm nostalgia when we passed by the old laundromat where my mom would dry the clothes she washed at home for the upcoming week. This trip was during a challenging season in my life, and in that moment, I wished I could capture that nostalgic feeling and bring it back with me, or at least go back to that time of watching the spinning dryer drums with old staticky televisions playing in the background and press pause for a little while.
However, this is where nostalgia can become problematic. While it's beneficial to look back and cherish the good times, the true beauty of life lies in being present to the current moment and moving forward. There are great things happening right now, and if I get caught up in the past in avoidance of potential difficulties, I will miss out on these opportunities to experience joy entirely. The underlying issue here is a lack of imagination. Remembering what has already occurred doesn't require imagination; it's a simple recollection. Choosing nostalgia over the possibilities of the future is essentially a failure to imagine. It's true that nostalgia feels safer because the good times will never change, while the prospect of bad times in the future can be intimidating. Imagination does involve taking a risk. However, the remarkable thing about imagination is that it can provide just as much comfort to the mind as nostalgia does. Imagination reveals the potential for goodness that lies ahead, propelling us forward through challenges and the risk that comes with the unknown. When coupled with the promise of God from Romans 8:28, imagination becomes faith. We are assured that all things work together for good, regardless of what they seem like in the moment. Now, our joy and rejoicing is based neither on the past nor the future but on the good God who is sovereign over it all.
