I write about the nature of nostalgia and the history of its discourse in my dissertation. I make an attempt to illustrate its role in the past and present: on one hand, it’s an atavistic human feeling, on the other hand, it “dominates” our day, it interacts - as a self-stimulating process - with technological development. I try to shed light on many of its inner contradictions, their paradoxical nature: nostalgia can be harmful and fruitful; a deep, devouring game without pain and stake; a means of initiating and ending war; a community-forging force and an escape from the threatening present burying your head in the sand. I use historical, literary and cinematic examples to analyze the phenomenon.