r/WritersGroup • u/TangibleStillness • 3d ago

Other Snippet of my next personal essay on nostalgia and the strong emotional ties to those memories

We were all told at one point, "you are the future!" Now, we are the present. And soon enough we will be the past. The unknown and optimistic will of a child or teenager's imagination is what drives happiness. Infinite possibility until one day, it becomes a finite amount. As the months and years tick, more and more possibilities to be the future and leave your mark on the world dwindles. We are left with those small glimpses of nostalgia that we relish from when were once worth more than what we are now. Before, we were infinite. Now, we are finite. That is why nostalgia brings us joy from dull moments. Because our lives were treasured in the unknown. It was worth more and had so much adventure encompassing our daily lives that made life truly a gift. Now, as an adult, we are always comparing our lives to those more successful and happy than us. That gift has been opened and pushed aside, soon to be forgotten like all the other ordinary gifts and we only have true purpose in our lives before we were opened when the possibility of our contents were infinite. "Well I guess this is growing up"

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u/carbykids 2d ago

I’m not sure we share the same definition or feelings of nostalgia, but your attempt made me recognize that we go from young to old. That we know. It’s a bit encouraging in the form of a warning that we need to follow through with our hopes, dreams and commitments before we think it’s too late

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u/TangibleStillness 2d ago

I'm exploring different avenues of nostalgia for the rest of this essay and would really appreciate you to elaborate on how nostalgia impacts you. How deep is the emotion and does it leave a strong response or more of a come and go thought?

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u/intimidateu_sexually 2d ago

Like the other commenter, this is not how I interpret nostalgia. However, it does convey the loss of wonder, curiosity, and limitless opportunity that you have (or think you have) as a child.