Nostalgia

Dear Hari Sir,

A nice article about nostalgia. The lines about people who are permanently removed from their homeland made me feel sad while reading. Fortunate that many of us didn't have that experience and we still get to revisit our nostalgia by visiting the place we were raised. Sri Lankans, Syrians, Bosnians, Jews, Palestinians, and many more suffered displacement from their homeland.

 

Dear Hariji,
Nostalgia is a link with the past. There cannot be anyone who has no past and who does not go to nostalgia. No exceptions. Many preach live in the present and this present also becomes nostalgia after a while. Whether they are forcibly uprooted or voluntarily they do become nostalgic but do not express.
Syamala

 

Dear Harilakhera,
A great write up on nostalgia.
Mostly for Indian woman, mother's house is often a nostalgia.Since it is the order of the day, many accept and get along.
You can never miss a feeling of nostalgia, when you experience one.
The word 'nostalgia ' is derived from two Greek words-Nostos( Home coming )and Algos( pain).During earlier days nostalgia was considered as a mental disorder.But now a days it is treated as a common positive emotion.
When we re enact the scenario, it may induce enthusiasm and positive thinking.
Nostalgia need not necessarily be happy events of the past. It may relate to sorrowful crucial experiences also.When similar incidents occur there is a possibility of revival of sadness.
When we had lost a dear one some 20 years back due to some serious illness, and now another patient recovers from the same illness, we may regret that we had not given proper treatment;or we had not admitted our children in some course ,now available.These regrets may make one guilty.
The same patient, same disease ,same doctor-may have yielded positive results in the past and may prove to be a massive failure now.

Nostalgia of childhood may bring back happy memories of innocence when we had no responsibility of our own.The same reaction now at the age of 50 proves to be foolish when viewed with a lens of adult.

But sales guys take advantage of this nostalgia and sell even big houses in the name of 'Agraharam villas' in temple city and earn in lakhs.

Psychologists say that nostalgia is a form of 'self deception'wherein the brain brings forth distorted facts and presents only rosy picture of the past, sieving the miserable facts from the event.
Even patients suffering from dementia may be able to remember past events very well.If one is over indulged in nostalgia, it may give rise to utopia that never existed and can never exist.
Buddhism considers this notalgia also as a craving or lust .

We have to understand that nostalgia can be comforting as well as dreadful.

Thought about miscarriages, failed weddings may make one miserable and depressed. Certain financial decisions, property purchases etc -taken after long planning and consultations would have suited to you those early days. The decision which was hailed as very wise by one and all prove to be impractical after 30 to 40 years.Under such circumstances there is no use of reviving proud memories but just do what is practical suited to the present.
In essence nostalgia also is mixture of joys and sorrows.Better try to live in present

Jayasala 42

 

@jayasala madam, it is a pleasure to read your wise insights into life

 

Nostalgia brings old memories . As Jayakka says mother's house is nostalgia. we cant forget those childhood days with our parents and siblings . Now parents are no more and siblings are in different places busy in their own world. When we get a chance to meet on occasions we feel very happy