“Nostalgia is one way of coping with things like social isolation or disconnectedness, loneliness. Times of adversity can trigger nostalgia because remembering who we were helps with our identity continuity.”
~Dr. Krystine Batcho, Psychologist and Nostalgia Researcher
Around the corner from the VIM Executive Coaching offices stands a relatively modern shopping center complete with supermarket. This is not what any of us would call a remarkable fact. Around this time of the year, that general time called “Back to School,” and entire section, pretty much the entire aisle, is devoted to any imaginable kind of writing implement, glue, paper product, geometry angles that no one ever seems to use and, of course, backpacks promoting the latest licensed character.
As hi-tech and sophisticated as society has become, it is comforting to see large rectangles of poster board in their neat little racks, three-hole punches and let’s not forget the boxes of crayons up to the coveted 64-packs that include silver, ochre and puce (or is it burnt sienna?). However, among the real old-school (literally) finds are the classic marbled composition books. There’s black & white, of course, but newer variants of green & white and red & white.
So, over the last week, for the sheer fun of it, we strolled down the aisle and observed just who was buying those supplies. Parents, with disgruntled children in tow (naturally), were picking up supplies; folks who had the resigned look of teachers were buying their own supplies (and without getting controversial, it made us sad), but the most puzzling were older adults, men and women snapping up composition books, paste, safety scissors, pens with colored ink, and even glitter by the basketful.
Did we miss something?
Business coaches are naturally curious people. So, as we observed the “more improbable of the demographic for elementary school supplies” holding composition books in the aisle or checking them out, we casually said, “Those bring back old memories!”
As it turns out, people have great attachment to the composition books with the “Wide Rule, 240-pages,” that proudly date themselves as going back to 1920. In fact, the buyers of such books are often willing to share the “why” of it all.
“I’m a writer and I use it to write book project notes.”
“I’m a marketing manager and I like to jot down ideas.”
“I’m a gardener and I enjoy keeping track of what grew and didn’t”
“I’m an aerobics instructor, and I keep track of the exercises of my clients.”
What a minute, we asked ourselves. With all of the gadgetry at our modern-day finger tips why are these folks drawn to composition books on-sale (frequently as loss-leaders) for as low as 59-cents? After all, you can’t down-load them, share them across social media or turn them into PowerPoint presentations, so why the popularity? Did we miss something here? As it turns out, Dr. Krystine Batcho, quoted above, and many other psychologists, are fascinated with our need for nostalgia. We need such tools.
Nostalgia can be subtle (such as sports fans arguing over past and present statistics) or overt (such as popular entertainers giving homage to songs or plays of the past).
When “you” walked off the job
While it was easy for critics to blame the huge and continuing turnovers of executives on a pandemic now a few years ago, the core reasons for turnover have not changed. The disconnectedness, so pervasive in our society, and especially amongst many executives is not surprising.
Many have lost touch with something powerful – themselves. No wonder that unexpected consumers in unexpected professions, scribble notes in composition books. It is a personal connection to something more powerful. It is a mindful desire to touch an imaginary stone of our souls. Is this important? Surely, it is.
While we are not telling every executive leader to run out, buy a composition book, and put glitter on the cover, we are suggesting that mindfulness, personalizing and breaking through the disconnectedness as the key to being more effective. Our devices may be digital, but we aren’t. They will keep selling wide rule composition books far into the future, as we continue to learn the mindfulness lessons of the past.