By: Zi Yuan Wong

While surfing the net, we come across a series of unfortunate events that, by and large, color our thoughts and reinforce our negativity towards the state of the world. Reading news like constant wars, reoccurring disasters, and younger generations faring far worse than their elders, we felt that the world around us has somehow gone downhill. Seeking some kind of comfort, we thought back into the old days, where everything felt simple and just and right. Remembering the good times where we were happy and content with our lives, we cleanse the negative thoughts that our minds continue to harbor. Before long, we might think of our pasts as better compared to what we are feeling now. However, is that really the case for everyone?

For older folks that have fallen on hard times, they might remember their glory days; perfect career, supportive family, or the days living without a care in the world. For them, life is certainly better and maybe more enjoyable in the old days, and they wish to go back to how it once was. However, some might rather forget the old days since those times are anything but glorious. They might have grown up suffering from poverty or domestic abuse in their households while others in even less fortunate might experience traumatic events like poverty, war, and famine, which they wanted to forget after entering adulthood. Thus, while some might agree that the past is better than the present, those who experienced more traumatic pasts will likely answer ‘no’ to the question on whether to relive their pasts.

Remembering my younger days, I recall warm and familiar memories of the days I spent with my friends after school, relaxing at home, or getting along with my family. Compared to now, my problems back then seemed minor and insignificant. However, if you tell younger me that he had it easy, he will deny that while looking at you like you were crazy. Firstly, as a student, education is everything to me and my fate will be decided by how well I do in school; my college of choice, my scholarships, my future. In addition to my studies, my individual freedom as a child can also be considered restrictive. Since I was still immature, I was not trusted to go anywhere by myself and I was limited in my ability to travel anywhere compared to now, where I can stay in another country despite my current struggles.

Compared to today, are our pasts any easier to live in? While it is true that the younger generation might not have to worry about adult responsibilities when they were younger, they still have roles to play as children navigating the world like going to school, getting good grades, and taking care of their siblings. The lives of children are also dictated by a schedule that must be followed, and they do not have the luxury to do anything they like. As for adults, many might think that their lives were better back then, but for adults that suffered prior trauma, they would rather forget those memories ever existed.

Nostalgia can be an addictive drug during uncertain times by turning our attention to the past. While it can be comforting to relive the good times of old, it shields us from experiencing the present that we are living in. Not to mention, many others do not have comforting pasts, and it also does a disservice to the people around us that exist today by ignoring them. For all of us, while it can be seductive, the past shall always remain the past, and we should be more present in the lives we are living today.