The Way We Were,

...when everything was possible.

I am a chronic nostalgic. I know that. Maybe it is because I felt the sense of loss at a very early age. Maybe it is just part of my character. In any case, I think about the past a lot.

But my father taught me that “the past was never better than the present time.” He believed in evolution. And even with this longing for the past, I have always been an optimist.

It is not by chance that one of my favourite lines of all time is: I have a life, and it only goes in one direction, forward; said by Don Draper in Mad Men (Season 1, Episode 5).

If you are a new reader of The Creative Advocate, I have to tell you that I am a big fan of Mad Men. I rewatch the show all the time.

There is also a movie I keep rewatching: The Way We Were. It is a movie about love, politics, lost opportunities, and the things we left behind.

Just recently I realized that The Way We Were and Mad Men share the same space and time: post-war America. A period that obsesses me, and that I call “the moment when everything was possible.”

Maybe my fascination with 1950s and 1960s America came from my mother. She went to the American School in our hometown, and truly believed in the American Dream. She loved James Dean and Elvis. And when it was time for me to study English, she enrolled me in the American Institute. I resented it at the time because all my friends went to the British Institute.

She wanted to move to America. Two of her childhood friends had moved there, and she saw the good life they had. But my father never considered the idea.

I have many things pending with my mother. But the one I regret most is not watching Mad Men with her. I saw parts of my mother in each of the female characters in the show. I kept thinking I would make time for it. But I postponed the plan week after week, until there was no time left.

Going back to the movie, I think it has one of the saddest endings of all time. They could have been happy. They could have formed a family. I never understood why they didn’t stay together. They had a baby and all the future ahead of them. It is that lost opportunity that leaves me desolate.

But thinking about it, I realized they just couldn’t compromise on their rigid principles, not even for a greater good or for the sake of their daughter.

And the worst part is that by the time they meet at the end of the movie, the values and priciples they defended so hard, had already changed.

The same happened with the American Dream. Somewhere along the way, it got lost.

The American Dream was not just about money or success. It was about the hope that anyone could improve their life, no matter where they came from. It was the idea of progress, that things could get better for everyone. During that time, people fought for civil rights, for equality and justice.

That’s the way things were, but they aren’t anymore.

Today, the idea of progress is on the horizon for only a few, while rights are taken away in seconds.

We’re living in a time of transition. That much is clear. And things change at the speed of light. The question is, are we ready for those changes? I don’t think so.

Take the debate about AI on Substack. It’s so pointless. What’s the point of proudly displaying an AI FREE statement on your newsletter if Substack itself uses algorithms to manage the platform?

Okay, AI and algorithms aren’t exactly the same, but they belong to the same family.

What is the difference between using a grammar checker and hiring a proofreader for your texts?
Actually, I think there is a difference. A proofreader will check your grammar but will also respect your voice and tone, something AI, no matter how well it is trained, can’t do. AI can’t really perceive nuance and style.
The same goes for editors. I’m certain there is no way any AI chatbot can replace a good human editor.

AI is the product of advanced technology, and it’s up to each of us to decide how to use it ethically.

The way we were, we are not anymore.

The world we knew doesn’t exist anymore.

Does that mean that the past was better? I don’t know, time will say.

But, one thing is sure, we need to adapt to the new reality, finding a balance between our values and the current standards, in order to redesign our lives in a way that feels good.

So, we don’t end up like Katie and Hubbell, who got stuck in their own outdated principles, losing their future along the way.

And you know what? The future is now.