Now and Then

The Beatles have delivered a new single some 62 years after their first one - and some 22 and 43 years respectively since the deaths of two of their members, George Harrison and John Lennon.

The song, Now and Then, was written by John Lennon and was on tape with him singing over piano. But as a pre-release mini-documentary explained, until recently the technology wasn’t available to split the track up into its component parts.

Whatever you think of this curio from the past, it's release raises an interesting question: how hooked are we on nostalgia? In fact, are we finding nostalgia an essential component of our lives in order to cope with an anxiety-ridden present?

Or, to put it another way, is 'then' our refuge from 'now'? And will future generations increasingly yearn for how things were as they seek for a sense of stability in a fast-moving world?