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Goodbye vs Let go?
Earlier, I thought that these two terms are synonymous. But, with the passage of time, with my own set of life experiences and observations, I realized how different the two words are. Both imply separation but there is a huge difference in the two kinds of separation.
Goodbye is bidding adieu to someone, without knowing when you both will meet again, if you both will meet again ever. But, if you ever bump into each other again after some months or years, you both will hopefully greet each other with a smile and reminisce about the fond, past memories. You will shed a tear or two over the distance that prevailed for so long. You will perhaps apologize for not making an effort to get back in touch. You will be curious to know how the other person's life turned out after both of your paths separated.
Let go is something completely different. It is saying goodbye without hope. In let go, you have to replace hope with acceptance...acceptance of the fact that this person is gone from your life forever either by mutual decision or by any one of your decisions. It can be that both of you would never meet again in this life. It can be that even if you both see each other in a cafe, you both won't acknowledge each other's presence. Let go is lifetime silence from the person, who once meant a lot to you. Let go is being okay with not being able to find out how the other person is doing even after say, twenty years or more.
Goodbye is bidding adieu with a tint of hope. Let go is saying goodbye with a tough acceptance that it's over, shedding all hope.
In our life, we meet so many people. We get extremely close to some of them and then after some time, our paths separate. Only a few people stay with us, year after year, decade after decade. They are so rare that you can actually count them on your fingers.
Dealing with separations gracefully is the art of life. But among these two kinds of separation, goodbye sounds a little easier and kinder to me.
What about you?
