The Life of Me: Collector's Edition

Letting Go

“Just let it go.”

Such a simple phrase, yet I have found none other to be more annoying. True, letting things go can be a way to deal with the inconveniences that life can throw our way. The guy that cuts you off on the highway. The girl that cheats on you with two different people. Barely failing a licensing exam after making a legitimate and painstaking effort at test preparation for three months. Yes, there are things that are better left behind so that one can move on with one’s life.

However, one can also interpret the meaning of the phrase as a justification to live life guilt-free, allowing us to indulge in self-gratification. For if we truly let things go, how can we learn from our mistakes, especially in instances wherein our mistakes affect our fellow man? For example, the guy that gets cut off on the highway should indeed “let it go” in order to proceed with the driving task and prevent anger from impairing his abilities. But what of the person that cut him off in the first place? It is likely that his remorse in cutting off the other driver was as fleeting as the speed at which he passed him. Because, like his victim, he “let it go.”

What of the spouse or boyfriend that gets cheated on? Yes, it is healthy for the victim to let go of the pain of this most heinous example of rejection. But what of the infidel? If our American society’s propensity for seeking out instant gratification serves as any kind of indicator, then it can be assumed that she let go of any kind of guilt soon after deciding to engage in her extra-relational activities.

And then there is the exam-failer. Like the other examples, the effects of letting go can go both ways, except in this case, letting go is an action that is solely undertaken by the examinee. He can either look at the experience as a learning one and realize that success is close at hand, given the minute margin of his failure. Or he can give up and live a normal life free of continuous reading.

Rudeness. Infidelity. Idiocy. These are only some of prices of “just letting it go.” A positive outlook on life and, more importantly, empathy for our neighbors are key components in preventing the mind-set of “letting things go”—surely an effective mechanism for dealing with setbacks—from becoming a mantra of uncaring indulgence of our personal desires.

posted by anthony fuego @ 7:53 AM