In consideration of a recent personal event, I’ve found myself pondering over memories of the past. When nostalgia comes into play, we may attempt to reason on those feelings by being mindful that we could be looking through “Rose tinted glasses”; that is, to emphasise and highlight the good moments, and dismiss the times that weren’t so good. The powerful emotions stirred up during these times often supersede logical thinking. I’d imagine that’s part of what makes us human; if everything were driven by logic, then wouldn’t life seem meaningless; akin to each of us being nothing more than a machine designed to fulfil a highly specific purpose without unique thought or emotion?
Thankfully, we’re not machines. We live and breath to enjoy the vastness of existence, and as I’ve been admiring hundreds of old photos, it’s brought to mind the things I appreciated as a child in comparison to what I value today. It can be said that the experiences of your youth shape much of who you become as an adult. This idea might also contribute towards the common idiom that “We always return to our roots”. I came across one particular writer who I thought summed this thought up nicely by expressing:
“When one returns to their roots, they can see why their ancestors did and believed what they believed. It provides a context with which we can better understand attitudes and behaviors.”
7 Reasons To Return To Your Roots – Charles Sampson (charlessampsonbooks.com)
Why do I mention this? Well, I find time and circumstance can allow us to forget what we once valued if we’re not mindful towards it. New people come into our lives, and before we know it, we’ve lost touch of the important things; the things that offered true joy and contentment. It can be the emptiness we feel as a result which sparks the realisation of how you once felt peace.
To suggest that we can return to peace by simply longing for what’s in the past however; that would be a fallacy. We all age, and it’s likely that our past circumstances are very different to what they are today. Maybe we were a child, and now we’re in our 20’s. Perhaps we were in our 20’s, and now we’re in our 40’s when this realisation occurred. So, how might we appreciate the thought of “Returning to our roots” in these scenarios?
As the writer quoted above has implied, perhaps it really is useful to offer a thought to how our Parents, and Grandparents conducted their lives through the decades. If we’ve seen the beautiful, authentic nature of the results that have come about, how can we imitate that example? Why would we choose to forsake what they found most important in their lives? Perhaps we’ve determined that a significantly different avenue of life is what we want to pursue, but I would be personally inclined to feel that such a great risk could err on the side of foolishness. Times change, and although it may not be possible to imitate our ancestors examples to a tee, we could take the time to appreciate the core principles of their decisions, and how we may use that in our own lives.
I’m so grateful for what my Grandparents and Parents have built, to create a family that’s so beautiful. Not everyone has this, and it’s something I’ve taken for granted to some degree in the past. But today, I can only hope through useful and direct intention to live up to what they offered me growing up. In my mind, there is nothing more valuable than the love found in your family, and whilst there have been periods where I’ve not come to appreciate it for the true joy and contentment it brings, I’m fortunate to have always had it in abundance.
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