Over the past decade, there has been a lot of talk about repetition in popular media. Modern movies routinely get multiple sequels, several famous movies from the late 20th century are getting remade, and even some TV shows end up taking a similar path. There are many ideas as to why this is happening. Personally, I think nostalgia is the driving force behind all of this.
Nostalgia involves looking fondly upon something from one’s past. Sometimes the fondness is accompanied by sadness if the thing in question is no longer around or is quite different than it once was. Nostalgia can exist around movies, TV shows, books, businesses, humans, animals, houses, vehicles, toys, games, commercials, and just about anything else.
Although nostalgia can arise at any moment, it’s more likely to appear during major life changes: moving out, going to college, getting married, retiring, etc. Those situations may be positive and beneficial even in the short run. However, there may still be some temporary stress around them. This is where nostalgia can come in to provide some comforting familiarity and stability amidst the novelty and instability.
Nostalgia can be even more powerful during painful times. A trusty stuffed animal who’s been with you your whole life can be of great comfort when it seems everyone else is against you. A beloved movie with a happy ending from your first few years reminds you that things can turn out well. A book series that you’ve read more times than you can count lets you go on a journey whose every twist, turn, and finale you already know well in advance, unlike in life. When everything is painful and changing, nostalgia offers peace and consistency.
In good or bad times, there can be huge amounts of comfort in taking refuge in fond memories, people, and objects from beloved moments in life. In the good times, such trips down memory lane can serve as pleasant reminders of where we’ve come from and how we got here. In the bad times, they can provide enough relief from the daily drudgery to carry on. This is certainly the case in my own life. I don’t often look to nostalgic things when I’m feeling good and my life is going the way I want it to go. On those occasions, I’m more focused on what’s going on around me and also tend to look forward to see what might come next. Mostly, I find myself looking to nostalgic things in times of uncertainty, instability, and pain. The major reminiscings I did this past March occurred months after a series of huge, painful life changes. As I struggled to work through the pain, I kept returning to memories, media, and mementos from easier times. That gave me a lot of comfort when I sorely needed it.
While no time in my life was perfect, overall, my childhood contained less responsibility, more fun, less work, and more wonder than my adulthood. I’m not alone here. There have been incredible amounts of instability, turmoil, and change over the lives of many people close to me in age. The technological changes alone are enough to get us longing for the simpler days of our more analog youth. Add to that several huge, negative world events over a relatively short amount of time and an increasingly uncertain future and it’s no surprise that many of us are doing whatever we can to recapture the magic and comfortable simplicity of childhood.
I’ve felt childlike for most of my life. Even now, I still feel like a little kid attempting to navigate a big, confusing adult world. Losing my dog Sawyer earlier this year has made me feel even more like a helpless little kid. As a result, I’ve clung that much tighter to nostalgic things wherever I can find them. Sometimes I fear I’m living too much in the past and not spending enough time in the present moment. And the future? That’s something I dread. It’s so easy to look back on my life and see how everything fit together so wonderfully. When I look forward, I can’t see where I’m going through the dense, ominous fog of uncertainty. Whatever comes next, I hope I can navigate it effectively enough that I someday look back on it fondly rather than regretfully.