Past > Present?

[LemonMelon]

You know, I think about the strangest things sometimes. It's not even always my fault. The thoughts just come to me out of nowhere and I'm forced to deal with them.

Today, I'm zoning out and listening to a Franz Ferdinand album, one I have much attachment to when it comes to memories (it helped cheer me up when my parents were on the brink of a divorce), and the strangest thought hits me:

"THOSE WERE GOOD TIMES."

Fact of the matter is, they weren't. They were scary and miserable, yet, since they occurred in the past, and not in my currently dull present, they seem better than they actually were. It's such a weird thing.

I live my life now and think to myself "WTF...I'm not going to have memories of this time. It's so boring." Six months down the road, I find myself thinking the same thing about the time I'm currently in, and have fond memories of six months before. I've heard of this same happening with other people as well.

Are we, as a society, that ungrateful that we look at the difficult past with rose-tinted glasses whilst looking down and complaining about the life we are currently living?

I see this exact thing happening with people on this forum concerning U2.

http://forum.interference.com/t174123.html

People complain about what's wrong with the current U2, and look back happily at the past. We came to find out later in that thread that people weren't so happy with the past U2 either.

Nostalgia is a great thing, but when it gets in way of our enjoyment of the present, it needs to be put aside. Look back at the past happily, but live in the present, and glean as much enjoyment as you can out of it.

Discuss.

 

[MooMoo!]

lol, I pretty much live like that, but then I firmly believe my life (not so much in quality, but in enjoyment and such) has got crapper in the last 9 years. (since i moved from my hometown.)

sounds odd, but when we lived in my hometown, we didnt really have all that much, but we had a damn sight more fun than we do now.

er...in cynical though, i find no comfort in the future other than dreams of careers.

 

[U2isthebest]

You know, I think about the strangest things sometimes. It's not even always my fault. The thoughts just come to me out of nowhere and I'm forced to deal with them.

Today, I'm zoning out and listening to a Franz Ferdinand album, one I have much attachment to when it comes to memories (it helped cheer me up when my parents were on the brink of a divorce), and the strangest thought hits me:

"THOSE WERE GOOD TIMES."

Fact of the matter is, they weren't. They were scary and miserable, yet, since they occurred in the past, and not in my currently dull present, they seem better than they actually were. It's such a weird thing.

I live my life now and think to myself "WTF...I'm not going to have memories of this time. It's so boring." Six months down the road, I find myself thinking the same thing about the time I'm currently in, and have fond memories of six months before. I've heard of this same happening with other people as well.

Are we, as a society, that ungrateful that we look at the difficult past with rose-tinted glasses whilst looking down and complaining about the life we are currently living?

I see this exact thing happening with people on this forum concerning U2.

http://forum.interference.com/t174123.html

People complain about what's wrong with the current U2, and look back happily at the past. We came to find out later in that thread that people weren't so happy with the past U2 either.

Nostalgia is a great thing, but when it gets in way of our enjoyment of the present, it needs to be put aside. Look back at the past happily, but live in the present, and glean as much enjoyment as you can out of it.

Discuss.

I could not agree more completely I graduated from high school in 06, and I find myself constantly dredging up memories from times with my friends, and wishing I could go back. I feel like I didn't enjoy like I should. I feel guilty a lot because last year I was so focused on finally being done, that I didn't have all the good times I could've. I wonder why I miss it so much, when I couldn't wait to be done. I think about how much I didn't appreciate it when it was there, and it's become too much of a focus for me. Now I realize that my life is just getting started. I have the rest of college, and memories with my new friends, and I still see my old friends quite a bit. I'll have a marriage and kids in the future, a great career, and more memories. I also realize that I need to enjoy where I'm at right now, or I won't be able to move ahead with my life. I feel a lot like you do now I think. And thank you for the Salome outtakes again btw!

 

[U2isthebest]

Thinking about what you were saying about U2, I saw that thread and I have laughed so many times at those old posts. Those posts are basically word for word what I read in EYKIW now, replacing "ATYCLB" and "HTDAAB" with "AB" and "Zooropa". "HTDAAB" is my fav, so I don't have that problem per se, and I love every album a lot. I always think the same thing though...in 10 years you're going to be praising these albums, and knocking whatever they're coming out with then, as shit. The cycle continues, isn't it awesome?

 

[LemonMelon]

^x2 Great post that I agree with 100%.

The cycle continues, isn't it awesome?

I guess so.

 

[AtomicBono]

well I think sometimes when the present isn't the way we want it we cling to memories of the past, and of course we're not going to comfort ourselves with bad memories, so we conveniently only think of those happy times. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. just proves that some pain does heal with time.

i agree that one shouldn't let it get in the way of the present, though. longing for the past is no different than longing for a fantasy land.

 

[VertigoGal]

I also have emotional attachments to songs connected to memories, even from shitty times. I first got into U2 3 summers ago I think it was, and it was a bad time in my family/life but I remember listening to Running to Stand Still and One and Love is Blindness a lot. now I hardly listen to them and I kind of miss the time when I was discovering them. I kind of want those times. Then again I'm in a shitty place in my life right now too and interestingly I'm not enjoying it...but I know later on I'll listen to the songs I listen to now and wish I could be in that moment. well a little bit. a very very little bit.

point is I know what you mean. I doubt I made sense though I need to get some sleep

 

[indra]

I think it's interesting that those who have answered so far are very young. Are any of you over 20? I think part of why you feel this way is most of you are facing big changes and decisions for the first time in your lives -- and they are your decisions, not your parents'. That's scary and wanting to stay or return to a "safe" time, even if it wasn't all that great, is appealing. With any luck as your body of experience grows, you will find you don't want to go back to the "good old days."

 

[AtomicBono]

I think it's interesting that those who have answered so far are very young. Are any of you over 20? I think part of why you feel this way is most of you are facing big changes and decisions for the first time in your lives -- and they are your decisions, not your parents'. That's scary and wanting to stay or return to a "safe" time, even if it wasn't all that great, is appealing. With any luck as your body of experience grows, you will find you don't want to go back to the "good old days."

good point indra... i often find myself longing for when I was in third grade, just discovering U2, and the things that mattered to me were beanie babies and dinosaurs and tamagatchis and whether my friends could come over to play. I mean, that all sounds so simple and innocent now. but the truth was I was depressed and had anxiety even as a kid, and was on zoloft by fourth grade but the idea of being a kid again is appealing, even if it wasnt much better in reality. becoming adult is scary.

and songs definitely carry memories for me. I associate Funeral for example very strongly with the beginning of my junior year, going back to my school, half my friends had graduated and i realized everything was changing and i was going to have to make big decisions and grow up and become someone. everytime I listen to Neighborhood #1 I get that bittersweet feeling.

 

[annie_vox]

^^ I also had a thing for dinossaurs when I was a kid And Neighborhood #1 is one of the most emotional songs for me... Sometimes I feel like it's a description of my life... I couldn't do a better one myself. Every line of that song has a meaning to me...

Anyway back to the point... I'm 20 and decisions are the worst part of my life right now... It's hard when you can't look up to your parents and expect them to say "chose this because it's the best for you". Of course they can help, but in the end it has to be my decison. sometimes I miss that feeling of protection, and sometimes I want to go back.
But there are other times when I think positive and there are so many good things at the begining of the adult life too... Independence is not an easy thing to get, I felt so exposed when I left home for Uni... For a few moments I even thought I couldn't make it. But three years after, I can say I'm happy with my decision. Sometimes I still have hard times and I admit, my mother still helps me a lot, I'm not a total independent, but the positive things are bigger and stronger
The friends, the parties, the crushes, the laughs in between classes, the long night walks near the river, the few hours of sleep and even the long nights studying in groups... Those are the things that are worth living for...
But then this has to come to an end, and then there's the real world of working... That I have to wait and see...

 

[AtomicBono]

But then this has to come to an end, and then there's the real world of working... That I have to wait and see...

that's why i want to become a doctor, so i can keep going to school of course i know it's a lot of hard work and it can drive me crazy but overall I like school. of course high school's nothing in comparison, but I'm looking forward to a challenge. I'm a bit terrified of the future. but maybe it will be good.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

I really think that nostalgia is overrated...

This is a bizarre example but stay with me, when I was a kid I remember watching Fraggle Rock, does anyone remember Fraggle Rock?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraggle_Rock

I loved that show, I thought it was the greatest, with the dude with his dog and those tiny little guys with their cities built out of that crystal stuff that the Fraggles ate... Good times...

Where was I? Oh yes, Fraggle Rock...

A couple of years ago it was re-run on TV and I got a chance to watch it again as an "adult" and you know what? It sucked.

It sucked so bad that I turned it off half way through.

So the moral of my story kids is that sometimes you remember stuff in your past as being great when actually it sucked.

The end.

 

[redhotswami]

@ Fraggle Rock. I had the same thing happen to me. I rented an old episode, an in it, I saw it contained a very disgusting message about "sticking to your own kind." It was crap. I haven't rewatched it since.

Anyway, as for nostalgia, I'm in my mid 20s, and I certainly don't miss "the dark ages." I still refer to this decade of my life as the Terrible Twenties, as I expect to be disappointed, frustrated, and depressed as each new problem presents itself that requires me to grow a bit more and stretch what I thought were my limits.

I certainly wouldn't trade any of that in the world for going back to under my parents' wings and breaking my back to please them. But I won't go into that...

I expect the next decade to be better. I expect once I'm 30 I'll finally have a "home", in that I'll finally commit to a community and stay there for longer than a year. I'm almost headed that route now, since I have a family (yes, I expect that the dog is going to be as far as I go in having my own family) I have to make more concrete decisions about work and living arrangements. I certainly can't be as spontaneous and carefree as I used to. This little guy is depending on me to give him the first stable home he has had his entire lifetime.

So for you young people, I'm warning ya, the 20s are gonna suck! It is a decade of coming out of your own shell, which hurts like a MOFO! However, once you've allowed that time for personal growth, it is going to get better. I'm halfway through with my 20s and I feel it getting a bit better already (the dog ) so just hang in there! Keep growing, and keep hoping.

 

[indra]

So for you young people, I'm warning ya, the 20s are gonna suck! It is a decade of coming out of your own shell, which hurts like a MOFO! However, once you've allowed that time for personal growth, it is going to get better. I'm halfway through with my 20s and I feel it getting a bit better already (the dog ) so just hang in there! Keep growing, and keep hoping.

...and then it all starts falling apart once you hit your forties, so enjoy the hell out of your thirties, folks!


j/k!


...well, sorta.

 

[redhotswami]

so maybe the even decades suck then.

 

[indra]

so maybe the even decades suck then.

oooh! Then there might be hope for me yet!

My mum always said "once you get to a cetain age you can do anything you want."

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

I'm pretty sure all the decades suck...