Spoiler alert: if you haven't watched the movie and you plan to, postpone reading this post until after!
An epic journey of a ignorant boy and a feisty Richard Parker filled with the most breath-taking scenes. I can't even begin to explain how much afterthought this movie had brought upon me. Then again, not everyone perceived the movie in the same way. Possibly because I've been taught and trained at school to be analytical about everything, every scene, and every word. It came across with one particular message that almost shouted out at me...
"I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go, but what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye."
'Tis true, we almost brush pass life's tidbits as if they were only meant to be a simple greeting. Then, to be taught never to look back because life is about moving forward. But, what about those chapters that needed an ending? a proper closure? As if time really does heal all wounds. I, for one, still contemplate between the two. Maybe it hurts more to have that serious "goodbye". Maybe it's better just to let it fade...
I've tried both, and yet neither have convinced me. Though, taking a moment to say goodbye did make it easier to let go of my first love, my baby Rav4, and a way of life. The rest- all those I didn't or couldn't say goodbye to before they left me in a hurry- still clings on to me somehow.
Still, what's the point, really? Why do we need it? Well, in having a goodbye is to allow you to move on properly, without hesitation or regret. No chains. That doesn't mean you are to never flip through those pages of memories. It just means, it's okay to now. It will no longer bring you a peculiar ache inside. This kind of letting go may feel impossible to bear in the first stages, but it gets easier.
The other, you can only hope you have left far enough from it.