Human greatest weakness?
Think for a moment about what the greatest human weakness might be before learning what it is. What are you thinking right now? Is it your brain, procrastinating tasks, knee, back, or eye pain, missing someone, being tired, eating spicy food, trekking a mountain, feeling angry, or is it love?
Now, while closing your eyes, try to visualise yourself in a specific stage of life, such as childhood, adulthood, school/college days, or work life. What is the thing that brings you to your knees at that time and provide a sour-sweet sensation?
Here are some of the examples I came up with after thinking about instances from my youth, my time in school and college, as well as some recent situations: Mom’s home-cooked meals, games period at school, Shin-chan, KK, hostel food, Dragon Ball Z, Akon, trips with friends, pen fighting games, tuition classes, early morning conversations in hostel, and many more that I am not currently able to recall. Now consider these topics, what is the most common thing in all? How do you feel when we discuss these topics? How do you respond when you see or hear about the topics I just mentioned? Do you believe that memories are our biggest weakness? Life? Love? Friendship? Well, there is one item at the top of the list.
Nostalgia, it is!
I mean just think about it no matter who you are, where you are, what you are doing, when some memories or experience that you had in past hits you again you feel emotional, happy or may be grateful. We have a variety of ways to reflect on the past, from flipping through olds photos to rewatching/reading Harry Potter series, from listening 2000s music to tasting the delicious food made by our mother/grandmother.
Even though my parents didn’t have access to things like the internet, cameras, shopping malls, etc., but still they used to make a big deal about how their childhood was awesome or how much better home-cooked food is than restaurant food or songs at there time were the best than today, and I always found it odd when they did so. But now that we are where they were when they were younger, we are going through the same stage as them, and I can now understand how they must have felt. 😄
What emotions do we experience when we re-connect with former friends?
When we meet someone who shares our interests, circumstances, and preferences, how can we instantly connect?
Why do some old songs hits different when we listen them again?
Restaurant meal is delicious, but why does home-cooked Rajma-Rice taste different?
Ever sip a Maggie while watching cartoon or listening song on 9XM or Zoom in the morning after a rain-related school shutdown?
Why does it hurt us so much when someone we don’t directly know pass away, like KK and Chester Bennington?
Did you ever painted mountains with a river running between it and the sun shining on the top and a hut at the bottom?
“Doodh si safedi, Nirma se aayi, Rangeen kapda bhi khil khil jaaye.” Sound familiar?
It’s 1000% Nostalgia that makes us go down that memory lane. 😊
Let’s understand the science behind it, why does this happens? 🤓
Nostalgia, which derives from the Greek words “nostos” (which means “homecoming”) and “algos” (which means “pain/ache”), historically had negative associations and was frequently thought of as an illness. However, the word’s definition has changed over time.
There was a research conducted by a group of people on Nostalgia, a hormone name Dopamine is released whenever we feel nostalgic. The dopamine deposits directly in the hippocampus(a part of brain), thereby activating the dopamine system in the hippocampus, so even after many years it helps in remembering a specific memory that you cherished or enjoyed.
All of the things I just mentioned are wonderful, but how do we know when we are in that good moment? How do we know that what we are eating, enjoying, doing, or listening, we will be remembering it after some years from now? Sadly, you can’t until it’s already past. Well to preserve these memories, what can we do is try to be present whenever you are with friends, family, or strangers, while listening to something, eating any food, or watching any show.
If you’ve read this far, you’ve probably experienced what nostalgia does to us, how it triggers happy, sad, and funny memories in a split second so wondered why it is a weakness rather than a strength? 🤔
Here’s my take on it why Nostalgia is a weakness, it may varies person to person.
Whenever you feel nostalgic you simply become very calm, you heart rate drops, you become emotional, you feel very down to earth, you miss a person a lot and you want to relive that moment again, so in all theses cases if Nostalgia with such a great power can bring you down to feel these things from the past then I think Nostalgia is indeed a Human greatest weakness.
Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: you find the present tense, but the past perfect! – Owens Lee Pomeroy
Comment down what’s are the thing that you make feel nostalgic. If you are 90s kid then below collage is definitely for you. Enjoy!
Here is a playlist of songs that I used to listen to frequently when I was a teenager and sometimes still do, its a mix of Hindi and English songs 🎵
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