Someone Wonders "What Was Actually Better In The Past?", And 35 People Deliver

“We tend to romanticize nostalgia and look back on our memories fondly,” Alex Wong, the marketing expert, book author and creator of “Hijack Copywriter” told Bored Panda. “This is because ‘back in the day’ seems much simpler and less chaotic than the present. We always have something to do and somewhere to be. However, when we look back on our childhood or earlier days, we ignore these challenges and focus on the more positive, simpler aspects,” he explained.

Wong, who’s in his 30s, said that for him, the good old days were in the '90s and early 2000s, before smartphones and the modern internet. “Things moved slower and you wouldn’t get dozens of emails or notifications a day,” he recounted. “However, my father is in his 70s so I’m sure the '90s and 2000s were a lot different for him. When he explains how his life was back in China in the '50s and '60s, it seems like a completely different world,” Wong added.

“One reason we tend to idealize the past is that we were young at the time and life seemed a lot more simple and innocent,” the marketing expert argues. “We were full of hope and aspirations. Over time, we tend to become more cynical and pessimistic.”

Another problem is that our memory is quite selective and we tend to romanticize things while leaving out a lot of details. “We focus on the positive aspects while ignoring or downplaying the negative issues. I remember the good times I would get cards and comics with my dad but tend to forget that my parents were going through a rough divorce during that time. It’s easier to not think about it.”

When it comes to demonizing the present, Wong believes that most people struggle with this. “We are never truly living in the present. We are either ruminating on the past or worrying about the future. As a result, we are never living in the moment. How can we be grateful for what we have when we are constantly complaining about things?” he wonders.

Wong is conscious of that and that’s why he starts off each day by asking himself for 3 things that he is grateful for. “This helps to remind myself that I am lucky for what I have and to be grateful. Because there are lots of people in the world, such as those in war zones or third-world countries, who are in much worse situations,” he told Bored Panda.

When asked what things, according to Wong, were better in the past, the first thing that came to his mind was food. “Before industrialization, when everything was mass-produced, the quality of food seemed to be better. It was less processed and not pumped full of antibiotics or sprayed with pesticides.” These days, when Wong goes grocery shopping, he said he is very careful with what he buys. “When I check the list of ingredients, most of them I have no idea what they are.”

Another huge thing we don’t see much these days is privacy. Wong argues that although technology has made life much easier, it has come at a cost: our privacy. “Large corporations, such as FB, are constantly trying to find ways to gather more data on us so they can use it to make more money. It’s gotten to the point where we have to be careful with what we put online since we have no idea who will see it and how it will be used,” he explained.

Social media has also changed beyond recognition. “Related to technology, social media has only been around for the past 15-20 years or so. Before the internet, the only way to keep in touch with others was by phone and snail mail. And if you wanted to know what was happening, you would have to turn on the news,” Wong said.

However, studies have shown that social media affects our mental health and increases our anxiety, depression, and isolation, the marketing expert claims. “We are always comparing ourselves to others, seeing how amazing their lives are, even though the life they are presenting to us may not be reality.”

“That’s why I avoid social media whenever possible and disable all of my news feeds. The only time I do use social media is for my business, and I make sure to limit the amount of time I have,” Wong said.