Wow, cheerful. Not sure you should post that kind of stuff tbh, could push some people over the edge.
I actually agree with parts of it though. Only slight grounds for optimism I can see is that something like radical life extension might become possible during this century. Doesn't change all the reasons for feeling miserable about life, but might at least mitigate them. But of course that's still a very remote prospect for now.

Just being honest...
Unless said life would become better at a level that's hard to even imagine now for all people while also restoring the ecosystem and having the other species we share this planet with thrive as well, why would you want a radical extension of it? I mean, yes, once you're born, death is bad, and the process of dying usually an even worse prospect, but when life is also rotten...
Meh.

The Wonder Years! It's true, that show has one of the best openings/intros ever filmed (Bergman's Persona? hah! Noob), it hits you directly in the gut, even as a kid.

I like your point (beautiful put by the added quote) and to an extent, I completely agree with it.

What I tried to express with my previous comment was that sometimes those same thoughts and conceptions, the ideas of ourselves, can be detrimental to us experiencing a richer life if they aren't kept in check. I'm not sure whether I like this thought or not, but I've found it to be necessary. And although I'd agree that this pragmatism could make yourself less you, it's also a helpful tool to navigate through life and to keep most of us from becoming another Ophelia.

There's this beautiful quote from (I believe) Kierkegaard which comes to my mind now: "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

I'll also leave this article here, it's a pretty interesting read: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/09/science/what-is-nostalgia-good-for-quite-a-bit-research-shows.html

Has it? Even as a teen, when I was age 15 or 16, I thought to myself that it's fine if I wouldn't age anymore (and I didn't want to) because there is nothing I desire from being older. Didn't care about being able to buy alcohol, drive a car, earn money etc and lo and behold, that's how it happened. The only thing that changed is responsibility for myself as well as being able to spend more money on things which isn't necessarily a good thing. Add to that the typical downsides of getting older (health and the like).

I don't exactly miss my childhood or the world before internet, but I surely miss the fact I had more time, more youth and more health.

Having responsibility for yourself is an enormously positive thing that you didn't have in childhood. Perhaps the most positive thing. Sure, the responsibility can be a real pain sometimes, but imagine a life stuck in perpetual childhood, with no option to develop and explore.

Not necessarily. Considering I had one shitty parent and a meh one, it's obviously an improvement (well, a theoretical one at least). But for others, it can be a simple negative. And even if you were stuck at age 16, you would still develop from experience at the very least. If one wants to live in the bliss of ignorance, age 11-12 might a good option.

Have you tried optimistic nihilism? As they say, it's mostly about the short bits where you don't suffer, not the great suffering itself :P.

Your experiences as a 16 would be circumscribed; as a result, your development would be severely limited.

And imagine what it would take to remain a blissfully ignorant 11-12 year old for a 70-year lifespan. It would be a nightmare! You'd have to shut out anything that exposed you to the outside and adult world, including new books, games, films, TV, relationships with adults, travel, music, etc.

I take your point though.

Further placebos people invent to just keep going. The suffering is certain and by default, only the extent varies (greatly), the good bits may or may not happen, and usually require effort.

Can't argue with you here. But even within this frame of reference of suffering (let's call it), it still is possible to set your own goals and achieve some level of self-realization, if you don't set unreal expectations of how life is supposed to treat you. Kind of like the "nothing in life matters" thumbs up guy.

You can do a lot as a 16-year-old, so it isn't "severely" limited at all. At that age, if I had wanted to, I could have traveled to other EU countries alone no problem. Work is possible etc etc. Being perpetually 16, you can experience that all if you want to.

Don't think so. Your brain wouldn't be developed enough to compute and understand everything. Not to mention that your interests wouldn't really lie in the adult world anyway. So you can still enjoy all the books, games etc with a kid's mindset if you want to.

Will you always feel nostalgic?

Even if you had complete freedom at 16 [many don't] you would not experience the kind of working and social environments that open up as you get older. You would struggle to earn enough to live independently, to travel, to own and run a car, your own family if you wanted one. And so, yes, your development and your options would be severely limited.

But the other point you raise is a very interesting one -- that fixed at aged 11-12 your brain wouldn't develop enough to have interests in the adult world anyway. The question is would it be better to live that way for 70+ years without knowing any different, or better to accept the pitfalls and challenges of growing older and experiencing a fuller life.

It's a personal choice. All I can say is that having lived most of my life now, I wouldn't want to have had it frozen at a time when I was younger. I've experienced my fair share of grief and made many, many mistakes. But it's been journey that finally makes some kind of sense as I look back.

Anyway, I've talked enough. I wish everyone an interesting journey of their own.

Since feeling nostalgic is something deeply human, and I'm assuming you are a human...the answer to your question is: yes!