We’ve all seen it, a Facebook post the says, “you’re a 90’s kid if you recognize this” in some form or another and in almost all cases you vaguely recognize the toy or character in the post. Then we see other posts that say “it’s been 10 years since this came out, do you feel old yet”? and the short answer is hell yes. Especially in the millennial generation there is a strange longing to return to the memories of childhood. I am even guilty of making nostalgic purchases every once in a while like when I bought a PlayStation 2, then once I got it I played it for maybe a week and then got over it and it still sits in my room collecting dust. This phenomenon is nothing new however I think it is a lot more prevalent today for a few reasons.
The World is crap now
Perhaps this is a bit of an overstatement but you can’t argue that the world isn’t more dangerous and unstable than ever before. Nostalgia by definition is a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The deplorable state of the world can be an easy explanation for why millennials are seeking out their childhood memories. For most of us our childhood was a time of carefree wonder, granted there were some rough times that we didn’t quite understand, but being an adult is a lot different and less fun and a lot less carefree.
Childhood Ruled.
Plain and simple. I don’t know about you but I miss the days of carefree wonder, playing outside with my friends, slumber parties, and little to no responsibilities. Heck, I even miss school and the homework that comes with it. Granted, there are some people whose lives were backwards where their childhood was hell and adulthood is much better. I miss not having much responsibility the most because that is what I hate the most about being an adult. Being a kid, you are blissfully ignorant of the real terrors of the world and we can in part thank our parents for that who kept us sheltered enough to keep us blissful and carefree. For example, Santa Claus was one of my favorite childhood hoaxes and I wish I had never learned the truth. I think what we miss the most about childhood is the innocence of it all and that is what makes nostalgia so powerful.
Adulthood sucks
Again probably a gross exaggeration, but it isn’t far from the truth. When I hear the word adult here are some of the first words I associate it with: bills, money, poor, debt, taxes, job. Doesn’t sound like fun does it? Don’t get me wrong there are some good things about being an adult like not having to report to anyone and being able to go anywhere at any time you want. Also being able to vote too I guess. Adulthood doesn’t have to be so bad, yes it involves a lot more paperwork than childhood but there also a lot more benefits of being an adult like: people actually take you seriously, you get the chance to make money, and you get all the freedom you want hell you can even eat ice cream for breakfast if you want which is a child’s dream.
Can Too Much Nostalgia Be a Bad Thing?
So yes, by comparison childhood seems a lot better than adulthood however nostalgia may be more harmful than helpful because by keeping in our minds a time that is no longer, it creates a facade of sorts that is unfortunately a lot better than the world actually is. You can’t go through adulthood seeking out something that doesn’t exist anymore because if there is one thing that I have learned as an adult it is that the world does not slow down or stop just for you. If you fall behind then you are out of luck and the consequences could be disastrous so the next time you see that nostalgic post on Facebook, it is okay to briefly think about how it used to be, but also think about why today is even better and it’ll make it the nostalgia go away or at least a little less powerful.
