Déjà Vu
Life is a complicated and interesting phenomenon. A few weeks ago, my wife, my friend, and I, were discussing déjà vu. In shows and movies, it’s the literal depiction of going backward in time and re-experiencing an event. In our reality, this particular concept is known as experiencing something that feels oddly familiar, but you can’t quite trace it back. Déjà vu is relevant to our everyday lives, whether we end up ever noticing it or not. Continuity is always present, as all of our experiences are connected. You could be sitting in a rice field for the first time and feel an instant connection. Perhaps you were born near one so your inner child is showing itself. You wouldn’t remember being born near a rice field, but now sitting in one is déjà vu.
There’s a belief in some African cultures that the future is non-existent. They believe we only have the present and the past. This would mean that time moves backward as the past grows every second. This is in line with déjà vu. As we grow older, we end up confronting our past patterns, behaviors, and experiences in some way. I grew up in the same house my older cousin moved into later on in my life. Then I would visit him in my old house. This is me reliving the past in a new light. Who am I as an adult now in this space? Déjà vu.
They say you can’t outrun your past. And honestly, we hear stories that support this all the time. The abused becomes the abuser, the bullied becomes the bully, and what goes around comes around. This is the cyclic nature of the world. Growing up in Haiti, I would drink a lot of condensed milk. After moving to the U.S., my consumption gradually went down until I stopped completely. But when I’m in a country that reminds me of Haiti and I see condensed milk, I give myself permission to indulge. The kid in me from 2001 is still here in 2025.
As I get older, I experience more and more déjà vu moments. I was at the beach yesterday and I felt like I had been there before. But I knew I really hadn’t. The feeling was very familiar. Everything is connected in our lives. As we move forward, it's important to look back from time to time.
