Chances are, there are moments when certain scenes from your life replay in your head, not because they were perfect, but because you miss the illusion that they were. Perhaps a rose-colored-glasses-mindset infiltrates your memory every so often to whisper, ‘you didn’t know how good you had it then’. Nostalgia is harmless, wholesome even, that is, until you find yourself held hostage to the belief that the present and future could never top what once was. 

It is no secret that we are all guilty of romanticizing a moment long gone in our lives at some point or another. Lovingly reminiscing on the past brings us that warm and comforting feeling known as nostalgia, that all people can agree they cherish. Nostalgia can be set off by a song, photo, smell, or any specific thing that may have a particular meaning to you. I, for one, know that I have spent hours with friends discussing and reminiscing on experiences we have lived together that we will never be able to live through again. While this is an enjoyable and relatable occurrence for everyone, at what point does too much reminiscing threaten to impede internal and societal growth? Research has shown that excessively indulging in nostalgia has its potential psychological pitfalls, such as overidealization, comparison, and avoidant coping mechanisms. Overidealization happens when individuals romanticize the past so much that they may erase any past challenges and only remember the best moments. This selective memory that occurs results in one constantly comparing their everyday life with this romanticized version of the past as if they are on equal playing fields. This leads to the belief that one’s current experiences are lacking. Nostalgia also offers an easy out for those who default to avoidance when faced with difficulty. In avoiding, one can evade current hardships by dwelling on the past, but on the downside, this hinders a desire for adaptation and growth. 

On a larger scale, nostalgia is so impactful that it can be used by powerful people to push the masses in a desired direction. It is not our fault that we romanticize the past so much; how could we not when the past is utilized (and often weaponized) as a marketing tool by plenty of industries and even in politics? For example, the film and TV industry will often put out nostalgia-driven reboots or remakes to attract an already built-in audience. If studios know that there are people who loved and miss watching the original version, they will bank on peoples’ nostalgia for the film to return for ‘old times' sake’. Old shows or films represent more than their actual content; they represent a simpler time for people, perhaps their childhood, adolescence, or an overall greater sense of peace than what they may be currently living through. Take ‘Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life’, the revival season that came out 9 years after ‘Gilmore Girls’ to show where the characters ended up years later. Reboots and their industries intend to play into those feelings in hopes of offering that sense of familiarity to make a profit. 

In politics, it is a tale as old as time, and one we continue to see over and over in different wrapping papers – a nationalist agenda masked by politicians, feeding its people a promise that it will protect its country’s traditional ‘honor’ and ‘glory’. Let’s first consider a rather timely example embodied by Trump’s slogan, “Make America Great Again,” to understand how nostalgia can be weaponized. The slogan shouts loud and proud that there was a time when America was “great,” though it never defines when exactly that was. Still, the slogan seems to imply a glorification of a romanticized vision of post-WWII prosperity involving traditional gender roles and racial hierarchies — a time that felt secure for a very specific demographic but deeply oppressive for so many others. We also see the utilization of nostalgia in the context of the Brexit campaign, which heavily leaned into British-specific nostalgia. The slogan “Take back control”, played into colonial nostalgia in the longing for a pre-EU era to restore Britain's sovereignty and control over its borders and laws, tapping into a sense of lost national greatness. Now, the UK’s economy is reported to have shrunk by nearly £140 billion as a result of Brexit. Well, even if the economy is down, at least the campaign successfully managed to stir up images of a golden age that ignored the empire’s violent colonial history! And I will not even mention the extremist examples of fascist regimes that were built upon a mythical and historical idea of greatness, justifying horrific actions and amass authoritarian power, as happened with Mussolini and Hitler. 

Speaking of the past, I am reminded of a cliche motivational poster from my high school that read, “You don’t grow when you're comfortable”. From an entire wall lined with quotes, I can only remember this one, as I distinctly recall my younger self proudly disagreeing with it. How dare this poster suggest I should strive to be uncomfortable? Back then, I associated comfort with being content, safe, and essentially everything I should want to feel. So why would anyone want to leave that behind? Years later, I have had to quietly eat those words. As it turns out, discomfort is not necessarily the villain I was convinced it was. Those circumstances that one is uncomfortable in, or perhaps not fully prepared for, are those in which you develop yourself and learn from the past. Starting at a new job, going on a first date, even asking for help, are all situations that are undoubtedly pretty uncomfortable to be in. These uncomfortable moments are the ones we usually point back to, denoting an instance that led to change. Moments like this require one to turn the page from a past you are so familiar with and may be holding onto for dear life, fearing that it is your peak. This is the hardest step to overcome. Once you do, however, everything that comes afterwards feels like a sigh of relief, and you ultimately surprise yourself with what you are capable of.

Nostalgia is cozy and melancholic, and better yet, easy to settle in because of its inherently passive nature. Looking to grow from our experiences, though, is an active process. A process that demands coming to terms with letting go of what you once knew, or were, to develop yourself. You can be grateful for, and even honor, what the past has shown you while not being swallowed by it entirely. While memory has its place, it cannot function as a substitute for the present. So when we’re tempted to escape into the past, it is worth asking what we are avoiding in the present. More often than not, it is an attempt to avoid discomfort. But discomfort should not be something to shy away from; it is something to confront, because often, it is where something new begins. So remember fondly, but resist the urge to stay.