Golden Age Thinking: Neurodiverse Edition

 

The good old days.  As someone who is autistic and has ADHD, there are moments where it's tempting to want to go back to a simple time.  It is always when we think about the good old days, we are suppressing living in the present moment and we loose sight of what we have.  It's good to have simple reminders of why sometimes having a reminder that even though reality is a pain, there are things we can gain from every moment we are in. 

Thinking about the "Golden Era" of thinking made me think back to my senior year of high school in my English class.  We discussed the themes in the book Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald, 1925) and one that stood out was the illusion versus reality and nostalgic aspect of the book/movie.  In high school, we watched the movie and read excerpts from the book because of some of the explicit content that was mentioned in the book.   I never understood the concept "golden age thinking" when we discussed it almost 10 years ago.  Ten years have gone by and it has suddenly clicked.  In Great Gatsby (1925), Gatsby desires to relive his past with his old love Daisy.  He wanted what once was with her.  Gatsby tells Nick Carraway (who is his neighbor and friend) that you can repeat the past.  In reality, all Gatsby was missing was being in touch with the reality that he will never get to love Daisy like he used to.  He wasted so much time thinking about what could have been rather than thinking about the present moment.

Another thing we talked about with nostalgia was the theme from the film, Midnight in Paris (2011).  This is a movie starring Owen Wilson (voice of Lightning McQueen from Disney/Pixar's Cars (2006)) and Rachel McAdams (from Mean Girls (2004) and the Notebook (2004)).  It is about Gil, a writer who is working on finishing a book and is looking for inspiration to finish his book about a nostalgia shop.  Gil is focused on the "Golden Age of Writing in Paris", which is the 1920's with writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.  During this movie, Gil is on a vacation with his fiancée, Inez's family in Paris, France.  However, Gil finds himself while on a late night stroll through Paris, ending up in Paris in the 1920's.   Gil ends up spending several nights in the 1920's thinking he is in the best era ever.  Gil learns a lesson when he and his new love interest, Adriana end up in Paris during its Renaissance era (Bella Époque-1890's).  Adriana tells Gill that this is her "Golden Age".  It makes Gil realize that nostalgia is real and everyone idealizes the past as the "glory days", but no time is free from problems. 

All of these literary pieces have one thing in common, and that's reminiscing or "Golden Age Thinking".  I'm one to talk, I will think back to the times when I was in grade school like late middle school to high school.  Times where I felt somewhat happy in life.  I also have always wanted to experience what life was like in the 80's or during World War II.  When I tell my mom that I'd like to experience the 1980's, she always asks "why".  I tell her it's because of the simplicity of life and how the movies, music, fashion, and everything else seemed so amazing.  People who grew up in the 1980's probably think someone like me is crazy.  Even though so much has changed since then.   I find myself idealizing what life would be like if I relived my past or if I went to the Golden Era of the 1980's.    That's not healthy.  I believe that some reminiscing or idealizing is okay.  However, there should be a balance of escaping reality and living in the moment.  

One of my favorite quotes from the TV Show, The Office (2005-2013) is from the last episode by Andy Bernard (played by Ed Helms).  Andy's character is famous for talking about his college days at Cornell.  The quote he says that sticks out to me is, "I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days, before you've actually left them".  This stuck out to me because it's true.  Sometimes you never know if you're in the good old days until you leave them.

I know having an invisible disability can be challenging and looking at life before it was challenging or a time period that seems ideal can be helpful.  I've learned that being in the present moment is the most rewarding thing ever, especially if you're feeling anxious and/or depressed.

 If you liked this blog post, PLEASE comment down below on what your favorite part was, and feel free to share it with your friends and family, etc.  Have any comments, questions, etc. about what you were reading? Reach out to me by messaging me on Instagram or TikTok @neurospicyblondie or email me  alyssa.onthespectrum@gmail.com.