One of my favorite comments is “the older we get, the better we were”. A close second is “nostalgia is the most powerful drug”. I think fond remembrance and longing for the way things were is inextricably linked to the safety of knowing how things turned out. You see this with all things cultural; movies, music and art. Conservative people tend to eschew the avant garde as dangerous - Elvis is a perfect example - but when he became mainstream and later dead, he became a hero of the same people who’s parents likely condemned him for is morality busting swiveling hips. Aging and becoming weaker also tends to make people cling to what they know. It takes a lot of energy and courage to face an uncertain future. What we do know for certain is that change is the only constant and you can never truly go backwards in time.
I wrote a post about this one time. I grew up in the early 1950s. I remember it very nostalgically, probably because of television shows, like The Donna Reed Show and Leave It to Beaver. But we had to crawl under our desks and put our hands over our heads in school "just in case" there was a danger from Khruschev's Russia. An air raid siren went off every Tuesday as a test. Some people built bomb shelters in their backyards. There was definite anxiety all around.
Ben...I think today is much more dangerous. But I was born anxious, into an anxious family with lots of emotional issues and alcoholism. I felt a lot of fear I didn't talk about. I didn't know that not everybody felt it. By the time I was in my twenties, it exploded and turned into panic disorder and agoraphobia. I can't untangle how much of that was the state of the world and how much of it was my own brain chemistry. Much of it wasn't warranted. Now, I think much of it IS!
As someone who grew up in those good Ole days, I understand what you've said. I was one of the very lucky ones, I had a childhood with parents who were there. I still believe that the music and movies were the best and are classics savored in this world today. I am 76 and appreciate what I had more than ever. Interesting read though, thankyou!
As a proud Gen X'r, I'm pretty aware of my own biases (yes, most music was better but there is some good stuff out there now), but I think the one thing that I hear the most from the teens and young adults I work with is that they wish they had the freedoms we had without the pressure of perfect grades and test scores. More and more teens share with me that the parties they go to "suck" and that nobody knows how to hang out anymore. That is one thing I can agree with them on....Keep up the great content!
I have a tiny page from a Bible-verse-of-the-day calendar pinned to my cork board. (Not my calendar--I just found the page abandoned somewhere.) The verse is Ecclesiastes 7:10.
-Do not say "Why is it that the former days were better than these?" For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.-
Most of the "music was better back then" is a function of survivorship bias--we remember the standout songs and forget the mediocre ones that shared that decade. It's also a function how music itself changes over time. The golden age of rock and roll is between the ages of 12 and 16--that's the music that's new to you and forms your tastes. What comes later might not sound as good to you, especially if there's a new generation involved.
As I am approaching my 8th decade of life I find this so true. My jobs were wonderful and I loved every minute of them, Ha. I remember my family as happy and for the most part functional. Thankfully they were there for us. I do have rose colored glasses and I do believe the music and dress were more fun.
I have to agree with Bill, I loved that comment as well. I feel like nostalgia reminds us of what we got to experience and encourages us not to miss a moment for what we still can experience. It's a blessing to taste what each decade offers. What I find amusing is whenever I see an article that says, " This decorating idea from the 60's is on fire again," or "Why everyone wants to own at least one piece of old jewelry," and I realize, the older we get, the more we realize how much of what we thought was ordinary is actually a treasure now. Always loved your writing, Chris. I refer to the $100 Start Up and Born for This quite a bit when I am coaching entrepreneurs!
What I find interesting in the Wikipedia article is that its the strong emotions -- positive or negative -- that lead to better recall. "[E]xtraverted personalities were more likely to have ‘rosy’ positive bias whereas neurotic personalities were more likely to have negative 'blue' bias on recall." (As in OCEAN personality traits.)
One of my favorite comments is “the older we get, the better we were”. A close second is “nostalgia is the most powerful drug”. I think fond remembrance and longing for the way things were is inextricably linked to the safety of knowing how things turned out. You see this with all things cultural; movies, music and art. Conservative people tend to eschew the avant garde as dangerous - Elvis is a perfect example - but when he became mainstream and later dead, he became a hero of the same people who’s parents likely condemned him for is morality busting swiveling hips. Aging and becoming weaker also tends to make people cling to what they know. It takes a lot of energy and courage to face an uncertain future. What we do know for certain is that change is the only constant and you can never truly go backwards in time.
I wrote a post about this one time. I grew up in the early 1950s. I remember it very nostalgically, probably because of television shows, like The Donna Reed Show and Leave It to Beaver. But we had to crawl under our desks and put our hands over our heads in school "just in case" there was a danger from Khruschev's Russia. An air raid siren went off every Tuesday as a test. Some people built bomb shelters in their backyards. There was definite anxiety all around.
That's an interesting anecdote. How would you compare the emotional atmosphere of the time compared to the one of today?
Having grown up in the 80s and 90s, it's hard to imagine another time when the geopolitical situation felt so dangerous.
Ben...I think today is much more dangerous. But I was born anxious, into an anxious family with lots of emotional issues and alcoholism. I felt a lot of fear I didn't talk about. I didn't know that not everybody felt it. By the time I was in my twenties, it exploded and turned into panic disorder and agoraphobia. I can't untangle how much of that was the state of the world and how much of it was my own brain chemistry. Much of it wasn't warranted. Now, I think much of it IS!
Thanks for sharing, Linda.
For sure, we can’t untangle how the world is from how we perceive it.
Curious, why do you think the unease is more warranted today compared to during the Cold War?
As someone who grew up in those good Ole days, I understand what you've said. I was one of the very lucky ones, I had a childhood with parents who were there. I still believe that the music and movies were the best and are classics savored in this world today. I am 76 and appreciate what I had more than ever. Interesting read though, thankyou!
I still believe the music was better, too. I'm about to turn 75. ☺️
As a proud Gen X'r, I'm pretty aware of my own biases (yes, most music was better but there is some good stuff out there now), but I think the one thing that I hear the most from the teens and young adults I work with is that they wish they had the freedoms we had without the pressure of perfect grades and test scores. More and more teens share with me that the parties they go to "suck" and that nobody knows how to hang out anymore. That is one thing I can agree with them on....Keep up the great content!
That's completely right!
I have a tiny page from a Bible-verse-of-the-day calendar pinned to my cork board. (Not my calendar--I just found the page abandoned somewhere.) The verse is Ecclesiastes 7:10.
-Do not say "Why is it that the former days were better than these?" For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.-
Most of the "music was better back then" is a function of survivorship bias--we remember the standout songs and forget the mediocre ones that shared that decade. It's also a function how music itself changes over time. The golden age of rock and roll is between the ages of 12 and 16--that's the music that's new to you and forms your tastes. What comes later might not sound as good to you, especially if there's a new generation involved.
As I am approaching my 8th decade of life I find this so true. My jobs were wonderful and I loved every minute of them, Ha. I remember my family as happy and for the most part functional. Thankfully they were there for us. I do have rose colored glasses and I do believe the music and dress were more fun.
You are very much on point.
I have to agree with Bill, I loved that comment as well. I feel like nostalgia reminds us of what we got to experience and encourages us not to miss a moment for what we still can experience. It's a blessing to taste what each decade offers. What I find amusing is whenever I see an article that says, " This decorating idea from the 60's is on fire again," or "Why everyone wants to own at least one piece of old jewelry," and I realize, the older we get, the more we realize how much of what we thought was ordinary is actually a treasure now. Always loved your writing, Chris. I refer to the $100 Start Up and Born for This quite a bit when I am coaching entrepreneurs!
One way I've found to dispel the illusion of nostalgia is to reread diary entries I wrote during what I now view as a 'good' period.
My entries remind me that I was also worrying and facing problems back then too.
Time tends to — thankfully! — erase those not-so-fun parts.
Thanks! https://warhorseacademy.substack.com/p/part-1-faith-in-the-storm-becoming?r=623dd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
But Chris, Peanut Butter Cups really WERE better in those days. As well as the acid at Dead concerts.
What I find interesting in the Wikipedia article is that its the strong emotions -- positive or negative -- that lead to better recall. "[E]xtraverted personalities were more likely to have ‘rosy’ positive bias whereas neurotic personalities were more likely to have negative 'blue' bias on recall." (As in OCEAN personality traits.)
Super post and so true Chris 😀