Hi everyone. I'm new here. I just caught this documentary on the Sundance Channel called "The Same River Twice," which was about a group of friends musing on the past and what their lives have become now. They were in their 20s in the 1970s and were all river guides, so their lives weren't very structured and time passed differently as it does in youth (why is that? responses welcome!). They were also avid nudists and lived communally. Now, most have conformed a bit more and have kids, houses, etc. Anyway, it was a really great movie and had some interesting thoughts on the aging process and the murkiness of memory and nostalgia. What is it about being nostalgic about youth? In many ways, my life is so much better now in that I have a passion I am pursuing and have more friends and people in my life who understand me than I did in my 20s. I also accept myself more, which is great. But there's that thing about looking back, when we were in our peaks and had more time stretched ahead and more possibility or mystery, perhaps. I'd like to think that the unknown in life doesn't go away too much; it's still there for me. Thanks for listening!
Sharon
Sharon
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Re: The Same River Twice
Fri, May 6, 2005 - 5:39 PMWhen I look back nostalgically it's not that I want to return to that time, but rather that I want to maintain the connection to who I was then. I want to gently pull my old selves into the present with me. At least that's what it's felt like working on a memoir for the past year. There are times when it's scary; I feel like I might actually get trapped back in those memories and lose sight of the great life I have today at 41. But it's so rewarding when I'm able to swim in the past for a few minutes and then consciously step out and lay on a huge rock in the warmth of the present day sun. By the way, welcome! -
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Re: The Same River Twice
Sat, May 7, 2005 - 8:10 AMI love nostalgia. But not because it was a better time then (or worse). Only because certain times of my life were enlightening or I fell in love or I simply had a great time. It was fun to go back to Mexico and try to find the people I met 25 years ago while hitchhiking down there. Its about the memories and everytime I return from nostalgia I'm ready to go make some more unforgettable memories. For this, my life has been rather crazy. For this, I have had soooo many wonderful experiences and I don't regret any of it.
Love,
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Re: The Same River Twice
Mon, May 9, 2005 - 10:35 AMThanks for your responses. I also think with regards to nostalgia, it can be a rich state of mind but you also don't want to become trapped in it. Ugh! Like Mrs. Havisham. Memory is such a strange thing in that with time passing we forget and sometimes fill in or even fictionalize the gaps; this may not be a conscious thing that we do. Also, I think it's hard sometimes to live in the present - to not trip out on the past too much and continually let it impact who you are, and to not worry about the future. Why is it hard sometimes to just be in the moment? I'm trying to work on this in my own life, with regards to relationships (definitely!) and the writing process. Perhaps I should start meditating... -
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Re: The Same River Twice
Mon, May 9, 2005 - 12:22 PMI'm not so sure I believe so strongly in the buddhist philosophy of living only in the moment. I feel my present is enriched by my willingness to let the past and even a little of the future seep in. For example, how can we live in the present without a conscious awareness of what has come before and where we're heading? This comes up for me a lot in watching how our current society struggles to function in an everchanging global paradigm without any grasp of the history that created it. -
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Re: The Same River Twice
Mon, May 9, 2005 - 9:14 PMI agree. The simple definition of "living in the moment" would he hard for anyone in our soceities today. We need to be prepared and have a plan. Those two things alone tie past and present into our living moments. Living in the past (18-19th century), now there's a place where you could practice at "living in the moment." But, I digress.
My understanding of living in the moment (today), is to not "dwell" on the past or the future. But to focus in ernest to remain in the active stream of life. The flow of activity and inactivity, without concern or regret. Pausing for moments of reflection and guidance, then moving on.
Now history. That's never been my best subject. But global social convergence is scary.
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Re: The Same River Twice
Fri, May 20, 2005 - 10:47 PMNostalgia, hell. I want to suck the soul outta some healthy 25-year-old body and pour my lively, healthy self into a carriage with some stamina.
Don't worry, I plan to choose a self-loathing goth chick or somebody who plain doesn't want to be here, much less Be Here Now.
:o) <--- Smilie to prove I'm actually harmless.
(Unless you're a whiny 25-year-old goth chick...)
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Re: The Same River Twice
Mon, May 30, 2005 - 3:05 PMI loved that film.
One thing I thought it captured which I do miss - often, if not daily- is that sense of time you have when you are younger. Days seem somehow endless (I mean that in a good way). Mornings would lead to afternoons which would lead to evenings, instead of mornings leading to lunch which would lead to coming home to collapse from the weight of the day and those dang aches and pains.
I love being not as smart as I once way, I love being a bit cranky after earning it instead of for just being an unpleasant person, I love the different stages of my life - but, PLEASE give me back the time when time was endless. -
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Re: The Same River Twice
Mon, May 30, 2005 - 4:50 PMNicely put. It is hard to describe that, how we experience time differently when we are at different ages. Maybe there's more structure when we get older, or more pressure to maintain structure, because our survival (making money) depends more on it. I know when I travel time passes differently, which I love. That's why I definitely don't like tours, but to meander instead.
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