Letting Go

There are a lot of contradictory messages in life and there seems to be someone to carry the water for each of them.  For example, some espouse pursuing greatness while others think that one should pursue passion and that greatness will follow.  As with all such apparent contradictions, there will be those who have read both sets of books on the subject.  To explain or to try to integrate the two camps, they'll simply put "sometimes..." in front of both constructs and call it a day.  As in sometimes you have to pursue greatness and sometimes you have to pursue passion. 

All these types of arguments tend to be about doing something or maybe hanging on through tough circumstances.  I don't think they're bad (mostly), but there's a greater truth.  The real chore is always binary.  The real choice is whether to hang on or whether to let go. 

And in that context it's almost always time to be letting go of something.  Letting go is not about sometimes.  Letting go is very important as is in fact one of the things that makes us human and gives us life.

Even hanging on is wrapped in a big package of letting go.  If you're hanging on to something, presumably you're either trying to go wherever it goes or keep it from leaving.  Inside that reality, choices exist.  Do I hang on and leave everything behind?  Do I choose to stop hanging on and let the person or opportunity go?

It's true that there are things pertaining to identity that represent the DNA of who you are that are important to hang on to.  Faith and morality are examples of these as are family (where you came from) and even friends (at lest the close ones who you allow to participate in the unfolding definition of your identity).  However the list is remarkably short.

Most things come and stay awhile and then must be released.  That includes virtually all the stuff in your closet and garage and even includes your closet and garage.  More distant friends will also be let go as they move away or move on.  There just isn't enough of whatever to support all the stuff or enough time to support everyone.  Some, must be let go.

It's counter intuitive, but we seem to hang on to pain with a grip that borders and occasionally transgresses into the desperate.   Whether it's continuing to hate someone who wronged us years ago (hate's essentially the same thing as not forgiving) or our own feelings of inadequacy or even nursing a physical wound long since healed, we hang on to our catalog of things and crutches like grim death.  Exactly like grim death as a matter of fact. 

Our place here is not forever.  That is what learning to let go teaches us.