Augustine on Waxing Nostalgic

We complain that our days are gloomy. Our grandparents and their grandparents probably did the same thing. People are never completely pleased with the days they live through but they frequently think that the days of their ancestors were quite pleasant. Those ancestors were pleased with past days they had never experienced, which is why they thought them pleasant. It is only the present that the heart feels so acutely. Practically every year when we experience the changing weather we say “It’s never been so cold.” “It’s never been so hot.” Comparison with a “better” past is always on our minds.

—Augustine, Sermon 25.1

I can really relate to Augustine here because I certainly see my past with rose colored glasses. What he points us to is the result of the Fall. The human condition will remain constant until Christ returns to finish the redemptive work he started. Then we will no longer need to yearn for the good old days because our present will be glorious in the direct presence of God.