On memories, friendships, and USM.

I think I understand this experience. I also think it’s more interesting than one may initially assume, as I’m beginning to think part of this experience is new for us humans.

That’s not to say that I don’t think people in the past haven’t missed old friends, reflected on cherished memories, or revisited the places of their childhood. But I think the advent of the internet has fundamentally changed human relationships and how we interact with each other.

For example, what would happen if you visited your childhood home? You’d likely explore each room and reflect on the memories you had there. Maybe, if you’re very lucky, some remanent of your childhood would still exist within the physical layout of the home. Perhaps as a child, you etched your name into your bedroom wall which was subsequently covered by decades of old paint. But a faint scratch remains.

Now imagine going somewhere larger, such as your childhood school. It has undoubtedly changed if it even still exists. But I’m sure if you could walk those halls again, a large number of memories would return. Memories you had long forgotten about. I also wonder, if your school or home had changed, how many memories would have been lost forever?

But what if there was a more-or-less perfect replica of your childhood home or school? If you wanted, you could stop by your old home and see your room just how you left it at age 12. Even small things, such as an old grocery list your mother left stuck on the fridge, or perhaps the book she was reading was still sitting open next to where she liked to sit. These are things you may never had paid any attention at the time. Perhaps you completely forgot about them until now. I wonder how thankful you would feel to be provided with those once lost memories.

If such a replica existed, I’m sure our reactions would be intense. Mine certainly would be. Perhaps some would even experience a deep longing to return to those days. Think about how mundane those days must have seemed to us while we were there as a child. But now, this snapshot of a moment in time - - this replica of a mundane day, could be one of our most cherished things ever.

There’s a saying that you don’t know what you got till it’s gone.

Or, you don’t really know that you’re in the “good ol’days” until they are over.

Hindsight.

When I created this thought experiment this morning, I did so because I think it serves as a metaphor for the internet, or more specifically for us; USM.

USM is kind of like that old school or house. Except, instead of one old bedroom, there are hundreds of bedrooms. In an instant, you can see what old friends were up to 20 years ago. Preserved in time, like some electronic fossil. Sometimes, I do feel a longing to connect with those people again, as if we could just pick up where we left off.

In a word, it can be bittersweet.

So, I wonder if this is something new in the human experience. We haven’t been able to do something quite like this before. As the internet and technology advances, I am sure more virtual spaces will be preserved and likely even studied by historians in the distant future.

It can sometimes be challenging to reminisce about the past. When I think about my old friends here, I remember the good times we shared together and a thankfulness that I was able to be their friend for a short time. Maybe one day we’ll connect again, or maybe not.

If USM is indeed our “old home”. Well, I’m glad we’re leaving the lights on in case they ever stop by.

Anyway. If nothing else, I hope this post was at least a little thought-provoking.

Take care.