nostalgia


NOSTALGIA
"Back in the day," "the good old days," and similar clichés signal negative and positive modes of longing.  Although this temporary suspension of what's happening around and to us at present seems to be a normal human habit, its abuse can lead to extremely consequential  results: intolerance, arrogance for which a person is willing to die, ego-worship, paralysis of sympathy.  In the midst of COVID-19 crises and expanding chaos, nostalgia ought to be held in check along with  charity, hope, and faith! In many instances, virtues are vices.

When we talk with friends at proper  social distance, the conversation may eventually bring up shared memories.  And quite too often, the remembering is rose-tinted.  For example, the two-hour conversation I had with my goddaughter about the death of her mother who was also one of my godchildren was spiked with bright moments, and I suspect we were jointly repressing the truth of what was less than good about the past.  Repression or mis-reading of what was bad nurtures  our   discussions of blatant  violence, slavery and its current guises ,and  systemic inequity.  More than sufficient evidence assaults us endlessly and gives American  fascism and bitchery the prospect of thriving.  Nostalgia is a powerful  ingredient in our predicting dystopian futures.

Jerry W. Ward, Jr.            7/12/2020 8:55:43 AM

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