Sometimes, Nostalgia kills you!

Every era is beyond doubt different from the previous one. However, the last twenty years have brought upon an unprecedented change, primarily driven by technology. The supposedly simplest form of communication is now through Facebook and WhatsApp – even if the people who want to communicate are at arm’s length from each other. The sad part is that there seems to be no reversal of this disturbing trend. Such practices will continue, will evolve and forever change the way humans go about their life.

For now, here’s something that you should relate to in some way.

A school bus pulled up next to a BMW car, nostalgia and ambition exchanged glances. The owner of the car felt a little less rich. As the signal turned green and he continued driving, he couldn’t keep up the same speed he was accustomed to. In an instance, the memories of several years had flooded his mind. His hometown, his friends and family, the absence of worry and the joy of ignorance. How wonderful was that time. A time to take your bicycle to explore the farthest place in the town only to know that there was another world waiting to be explored beyond that point. A time to play cricket throughout the day and quarrel with friends only to get back together in the evening. A time when you had only one television channel and your viewing habits were very much fixed. A time when you did not think twice before playing on your neighbor’s property.  The only thing left are memories from that bygone era. 

This is the story for many people who sometimes pause to think about their life – not the life inspired by ambitions but the one that that they so desperately want to go back to.

I recently came across an interesting phrase – “The social cost of Industrialization”. While the development of industry leads to better standards in living and better infrastructure, it leads to weakened community links. People move from the place they grew up in, migrate to larger cities and start a new life altogether in the hope of a better life. This is the cost that the human race has had to pay for industrialization throughout history. Sadly, there is no way getting around this. Thankfully, in the years ahead, relationships will go digital and will lack depth. There would be no need for meeting anyone in person. There will be no emotional connect with anything. The result - people will not have to bear the pain associated with real relationships. How blessed will these people be!!

For the rest of us belonging to this generation, take a pause and think about your childhood, your school days and adolescence. If God gives you a chance, will you trade your ambition to get back to the life that was once so rich and now looks so priceless? I will!!!!

Below is an icing on the cake for that nostalgic feeling – the closing lines from the TV series – ‘The Wonder Years’.

“I remember a place, a town, a house, like a lot of houses. A yard like a lot of other yards. On a street like a lot of other streets. And the thing is, after all these years, I still look back... with wonder.”

See, nostalgia almost killed you!