For progressive people the present is the beginning of the future. For conservative people the present is the end of the past.
~ Karl Mannheim (1893-1947), Hungarian sociologist
True enough - who looks back to some Golden Age but conservatives & who welcomes the whirlwind of change but progressives. It's probable that looking back is what makes you a conservative, that is, the prediliction to miss the good ol' days is a character trait that predicts a conservative mindset. There's more to it than that, of course. Conservatives are, apparently, more fearful & anxious, so it makes sense that they cling to the familiar.