"Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’
For it is not from wisdom that you ask this."(Ecclesiastes 7:10)
I've noticed something that has probably always been true, that there always seems to be some "golden age" that all of us want to go back to. We mythologize the past, usually remembering only the good parts of it, while paying no attention to the not so good parts.
I suppose this really happens when we are feeling unsure of ourselves. When there is to much chaos in our lives and when we can't see what lies ahead. The beauty of former days I suppose is that if we lived in them they have had an impact on us. They are a part of our history. The truth is that all of history has some sort of impact on us, because someone we're related to lived then and their world view was formed.
The moments when I want to time travel back to some era that I did not live in would only be from a place of curiosity. To witness some event I've read about. Not to influence or change it.
I will admit to fantasizing about going back to high school and doing some things differently. But the real wisdom would be to learn from what I didn't do and see if I can apply what I'd do differently to my current context. Perhaps that's real wisdom.
Blessings,
Ed
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