...even when those things weren't all that enjoyable at the time? is the grass always greener on the other side?
"the good old days weren't always good, and tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems." -billy joel
2006-08-20 11:11:01 · 11 answers · asked by patzky99 6 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
Maybe in a very simple way, the past you have already dealt with, you KNOW that you can overcome all those obstacles that tempered the good times, because you already have.
What might you do about the new things that are in your future?
Sometimes the thing about time going by, is the world continues to lose any vestige of innocence. You can remember days gone by when you didn't "know so much", that provided some bliss of ignorance. But these days you know, and "knowing" isn't always a pleasure, sometimes it can be quite disheartening.
I used to be heavy into nostalgia. Younger, quicker, thinner... prettier? But that life didn't have the sureness it does now. Even with all the questions about the future. I know better who I am, and what's important to me (primarily caring for my family). I know there are beautiful moments yet to come, some I know will be quite breathtaking and glorious, some just some plain old good laughs, maybe mingled in with some good tunes and good friends.
I think what's the most bitter about looking back is not so much in trying to go back to those remembered good times or easier times, as it is realizing how much more you should have enjoyed it THEN.
Got a lot of respect for Billy J, as a singer, musician, lyricist, and as a philosopher.
2006-08-20 11:35:10 · answer #1 · answered by sagebella 5 · 4⤊ 10⤋
I think we look fondly at them because we were different then. When we were children, we weren't concerned with working a job or paying bills. Now we have responsibilities and don't have the freedom as we once had. Now we want to succeed, aspire to greater jobs with more pay, have hobbies, play golf as well as raising a family. In addition to all this, we have worry. Being a kid is the greatest time of one's life because even if there were hard time, children have that natural trust that things would work out and they can take a respite from the drudgeries and go out and play ball or do something to pass the time in a fun way.
2006-08-24 17:26:55 · answer #2 · answered by nobluffzone 5 · 8⤊ 2⤋
No, the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side...its how we perceive things. Do I really want my past to come back and haunt me, even though I have a few fond memories? Do I have the faintest idea of what I'm talking about...?There was actual life in the past that I did feel and so I can look back and say 'oh, that was me!/?' The future being unwritten - I struggle constantly with what I don't feel, what I do not feel anymore - and why.
2006-08-20 11:35:18 · answer #3 · answered by justme 4 · 8⤊ 2⤋
Why not keep a little innocence of the days gone by? What is it going to hurt to look back fondly? Think about it this way: Looking back is exactly what memories are made for. The good and not so good are what memories are made of. We are human and we all have memories. It is human to want to feel good. So why analyze why we look back "fondly'? There was a little innocence back then. Stop wondering why we do this and just enjoy it. If what your remembering makes you smile, that's all that matters. A smile never hurt anyone. Just let yourself be. It's all good!!!
2006-08-20 15:43:49 · answer #4 · answered by Dorie 3 · 8⤊ 2⤋
Because as time goes on things seem to get more difficult and we wonder why we didn't cherish the times we had when we were younger and less stressful..Old age brings death and when your young you think it will take forever to get there and time and life goes by in a flash and you wish you could have done some things different and not worried about small material things and concentrated more on family and friends.
2006-08-25 12:13:41 · answer #5 · answered by mustang 3 · 8⤊ 2⤋
It's simply a case of selective memories. We tend to forget the bad stuff unless it was really traumatic. When our recollections emphasize the good times, it's our way of feeling good about ourselves. In my own childhood memories, it was always sunny and I led a carefree life of having fun--not unlike a Calvin & Hobbes strip, minus the imaginary tigers. :-) Of course my childhood wasn't all bright; there were illnesses, schoolyard bullies, scrapes & bruises, having to eat yucky vegetables & do homework, piano lessons I didn't want to go to, etc. But time has a way of eroding the bad stuff so that it's not so prominent in our memories. I think this is a normal, healthy aspect of our development.
2006-08-20 11:22:18 · answer #6 · answered by R[̲̅ə̲̅٨̲̅٥̲̅٦̲̅]ution 7 · 8⤊ 2⤋
It is hard to enjoy the present because we are always distracted by stress of every day life. Taxes, our job, the mortgage, getting the fixed, paying for our children's education. When we look at the past these distractions have no power over us so we are free to let our minds enjoy all the pleasureable aspects of life.
2006-08-20 11:24:42 · answer #7 · answered by ligoneskiing 4 · 8⤊ 2⤋
We tend to forget the worst times. Who wants to dwell on them? Sometimes we glorify them. Looking back on the 1940's and "50's, they look very peaceful and clean. It's easy to forget that a woman like me could not exist in that era and that domestic violence was a way of life for many. Even our memories of childhood are changed with time. Reminiscing with my brothers, we could have been raised in three different households, our memories and perspectives are so different.
2006-08-20 11:19:24 · answer #8 · answered by R. F 3 · 8⤊ 2⤋
When we live in the past, we live in regret, to some extent we hold on to those fantasies that could have produced more happiness, fulfilment, love etc. Sometimes we idealize the past because we are trying to rationalize the conflict between who we want to be and who we view ourselves as
2006-08-20 11:21:34 · answer #9 · answered by someone 5 · 8⤊ 2⤋
because they made us who we are now! we know those things we remember as being things that have shaped us and given us are perspective of life plus the fact that when you look back there alllways seems to be less personal responsabilty (ahh those care free days)
2006-08-20 11:31:34 · answer #10 · answered by surfer soul 2 · 8⤊ 2⤋