Nostalgia

"The past always looks better than it was because it isn't here." - Finley Peter Dunne

As the 19th century turned into the 20th, Dunne wrote observations in a syndicated newspaper column using the point of view of a fictitious Irish bartender, Mr. Dooley. One of the targets of his pen were those who pine for the "good old days".

From the Greek words nostos - returning home and algos - pain or ache, nostalgia is usually experienced through rose-colored glasses. In the 17th century, it was considered a medical illness...nothing the loss of a few ounces of blood couldn't cure. Leeches, lancets and scarificators alleviated this melancholia.

The Baltimore neighborhood I live in, Fells Point, celebrates its salvation during the first weekend of October. 43 years ago, planners wanted to demolish a large portion of the neighborhood to create an interconnect between I-83 and I-95. The neighborhood led a "freeway revolt", won and received designation as an historic district.

Since my first Fest 12 years ago, old-timers have regaled me with tales of how much better the Fest used to be. How the area has lost its feel, the bars were cooler, the people funkier, the ambiance more bohemian. I sometimes fall into nostalgia's halcyon web, but struggle to escape its seductive strands. Wallowing in these feelings is a futile endeavor.

We cannot stop Chronos and his consort Ananke as they turn the celestial wheel. Paradoxically, we must embrace the mantras of two icons from the Sixties: Ram Dass "Be Here Now" and the Merry Pranksters "Nothing Lasts" - as ever BB

"Things ain't like they used to be and probably never was." - Will Rogers