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"We Don't Think About You": Is Past Lives Romantic Poetry or Pure Delusion?

Event artwork for "We Don't Think About You": Is Past Lives Romantic Poetry or Pure Delusion?

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About this event

What to expect

Explore whether diaspora nostalgia and digital nomad life offer genuine belonging,or romanticise connection without commitment,on 26 September in Chiang Mai.

Inspired by a viral critique of the film Past Lives, this free Socratic discussion examines the tension between longing for home and participating in the reality of a place. It asks whether returning diaspora and globally mobile people sometimes expect communities to provide identity, intimacy and purpose without accepting the obligations required to build lasting roots.

Hosted by Socrates Café – Chiang Mai, the session moves beyond the film’s romantic aesthetic to consider migration, identity and the psychology of perpetual mobility. The conversation will connect the experience of Asian and Balkan diasporas with Chiang Mai’s digital nomad scene, where the desire for freedom can collide with loneliness, isolation and the search for a “tribe”.

Questions on the table

Participants will explore:

  • The economics of authenticity: Why might locals see returning diaspora members and expats primarily as sources of money, and why can that perception feel so confronting?
  • Main Character Syndrome: Do travellers cast local people as supporting characters in a personal journey of self-discovery?
  • The cost of constant mobility: Can collecting experiences and passport stamps postpone the less glamorous work of creating a foundation or legacy?
  • Belonging without roots: Is it reasonable to seek profound community and higher purpose while keeping the option to leave at any time?
  • Nostalgia versus reality: When does affection for an ancestral or former home become romantic poetry, and when does it become delusion?

Format and who it’s for

Moderator Stefan Ručman will lead a facilitated Socratic Circle and open inquiry. This is not a lecture or film-studies seminar: the emphasis is on sharp questions, challenged assumptions, counter-perspectives and following an argument wherever it leads. Diverse cultural viewpoints and lived experiences are welcome, provided the exchange remains open and respectful.…

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