On "Anachronism"

I posit: The only way anachronism can exist in humans is if what is being done is in direct and explicit homage to an earlier time.

anachronism
n 1: something located at a time when it could not have existed
or occurred [syn: {mistiming}, {misdating}]
2: an artifact that belongs to another time
3: a person who seems to be displaced in time; who belongs to another age

Some people tell me that I was born in the wrong time, that I am an "anachronism." I do not believe this really, because I do not consciously pay tribute to any other eras. My aesthetic draws on what is aesthetically pleasing to me. I think the problem is that most people are very wrapped up in the idea of progress, and they think that whatever is modern/current shows the most progress. Me, I am not consumed with this idea, and so I feel free to do what I like. Sometimes this seems to coincide with what people liked decades ago; sorry old and dead people, it isn't really intentional!

In short, the term anachronism can only be applied to people who are trying to approximate a "look" or aesthetic that is clearly taken from another age. It isn't like I'm walking around wearing a monocle and a stove pipe hat.

In spite of everything that I've written here, I must admit that I do, at times, feel "out of time." Who can say whether or not I'd have been happier in another era?