TED Conversations

Michael Roberts

TEDCRED 10+

This conversation is closed. Start a new conversation
or join one »

Is there a social or cultural advantage to sentimental value? Do we benefit from having it? How?

Two recents events made me wonder about this; a family-owned restaurant near where I went to University in the 80s, and had been to many times since, recently closed and I accidently washed a paperback copy of a favourite book, a copy which was also from the early 80s, ruining it.

In both cases, I was curious WHY I felt a sense of loss; I no longer live near that restaurant and had been there maybe once in the past five years and the paperback is easily and cheaply replacable.

So, I am curious; IS there a social advantage to feeling nostalgic or giving relatively worthless items strong sentimental value (excluding family heirlooms)?

0
Share:
progress indicator
  • thumb

    Frans Kellner 100+

    • 0
    TED Translator
    Jul 4 2012: It is a kind of mourning. With small things up to the lost of a beloved relative you mourn for it formed you for the period you lived with it/her/him. It has become part of you and if it is gone you lose a little bit of yourself.

    In the end the feeling emerges with the question: "What am I really apart for the accumulation of past events." Life is like stream and as we identify with the stories of our past, if pieces submerge, we lose sight of its origins and with it we can't see where we're heading any longer.

    The social advantage if you will call it that, is that you start to prepare to lose more and get used to it for in the end you lose everything you thought to be.
  • thumb

    Debra Smith 200+

    • 0
    Jul 4 2012: Almost everything that brings a stressed human being comfort and stress relief is good so I think things with sentimental value can do great things for their owners. We just have to remember that it is their comfort item not ours so that we will obviously not feel the same way about it that they do. We have our own and a question like this often comes from someone who does not value another person's items of sentimental value. What are yours?- war medals, neon signs of beer companies. comic book or stamp collections? I hope you do have something.
  • thumb

    Lejan . 30+

    • 0
    TED Translator
    Jul 2 2012: Hello Michael,

    thank you for sharing this idea.

    I see it this 'nostalgic feelings' beneficial and essential for the preservation of culture itself and the world we know today would be much different if we would not have them.

    For example, all of this old castles and strongholds in Europe are way off any given standard for energy efficient housing. Often they come in the way of efficient road planning, town expansion or industry settlements. Also they eat up millions and millions of tax-payer money to stay maintained. They are nice to look at, yes, but all of them lost their original purpose many centuries ago. So, rationally seen, they are just needless.

    And yet they aren't and no one would consider them to be. And those who would (there are always exeptions) get then confronted by the world heritage list, which is protecting legally what may come in danger for whatever reason.

    This way our nostalgic feelings preserve our cultural roots, overrule our rational minds, to keep alive those windows to the past for us to remind were we are coming from. This helps to create identity and a compass towards the future.
Showing all 3 comments