I hear a lot of people say they feel like they were “born too late” and would have been happier if they had lived 20, 30, 50, 100 - whatever number of years before they were actually born.
My question is, does science have a term for this phenomenon (I don’t want to call it a disorder) and is there a mundane rational explanation for why it occurs? I realize that it would fall under psychology, which IIRC isn’t universally accepted as a real science, but any scientific theories or studies would be appreciated.
Is it possibly for most just “nostalgia” for what may be perceived by the person as a better, more friendly, or simplier era (which, in fact may not be better or simplier at all compared to the present)?
I believe I’ve been a “victim” of this phenomenon, or perhaps it’s just daydreaming and only letting the good times in. It’d be great if I had been born five years earlier. Retirement would’ve kicked in 12 months ago. I’m relatively healthy, so I’d be able to pursue my hobbies, et al, unfettered by the workaday grind. Sure, I might’ve gotten hit by a bus as a 4 year old, a year before I was actually born, but this is my time continuum fantasy, and that bus would’ve missed me by 3 feet. Corporate America is running roughshod over the average working stiff, and I’d sooner not be under their heel. Heck, WHO wouldn’t want an easier time of it. It’s damn frustrating to see the losers and goldbricks I’ve worked with, that drifted through their jobs when times were fatter, enjoying their retirement. I gotta’ bust my hump, all day, every day, in Sisyphean fashion. Call it nostalgia, wishful thinking, a fervent plea to the heavens, fill in the blank. It’s one of the few things that keeps me going, and is a strong tether to a sane existence[hopefully] Whatever games you gotta’ play to get thru the day is fine with me.
I have a name for this phenomenon. It’s called self-justification or scapegoatism. This is just another variation of the “it’s the world’s fault.”
Personally, I feel cheated that I was born so early in history. I’m in my twenties, so I probably will get to see full VR, but I probably won’t be able to afford space travel. And who knows whether I’ll live long enough for medical science to advance enough to let me live to over 150. How much cool stuff will I miss out on? I’f only I’d been born at least a few decades later…
Guess this subject would have been better suited for IMHO or MPSIMS. :o
Personally, I think it would have been nice to be an adult around the time I was actually born. Can’t really put my finger on it but there’s something about that point in time and the last several years before that “resonates” with me.
