Leonard planned the funeral when his mother passed away near the end there
was this moment at the crematorium where he was assigned to push the button that
would initiate the furnace that would torch his mother's corpse turning it
from flesh and bones to ash at that moment all he could think about was the
button and whether it was real does it actually do anything or was it all a
show for his relatives all of which were standing behind him
sobbing Leonard was not sobbing he looked at his father who was weeping
quietly in his wheelchair he looked at his aunt who was breaking down into the
chest of her husband friends and family all gathered to watch and push this
button they were all in a different state of grief so he took a deep breath
and he did it he pushed the button the Crematory initiated his mother's coffin
disappeared behind the ovens door a blind to the window looking into the
crematorium was lowered the show ended Leonard and the rest of his family
returned home he will never see his mother's face again
a month later Leonard goes on a date with a former coworker of his Sara she
wanted to see this Academy award-nominated movie dramas were not
Leonard's thing but he was willing to compromise he'll get to pick the movie
next time they bought tickets and popcorn and Leonard held Sara's hand as
the movie started at the one-hour 22 minute mark Leonard clenched his teeth
and pursed his lips he placed a finger up against his mouth this was unusual
he didn't usually cry in movies but here he was on the screen was a hospital
scene the adult children were looking down at their dying mother as she told
them all about her regrets the tragedies of her life her missed opportunities
the unrequited love she tells them of how she let them down how she wished she
could have been a better mother how she wanted to be a better listener
it was all too late as the first drop of tears left Leonard's eyes an image
flashed in his mind the button while the rest of his family
had been sobbing he was stoic now in the theater the floodgates opened what
Leonard was experiencing as he sat there holding his date in one hand and keeping
himself from crying out loud in his other is catharsis catharsis is the
process in which we release our pent-up emotions some define it as a
purification or predation of emotions as though it is some sort of cleansing it's
as though we have poured rain over our response system and clogging the months
and years of built-up feelings so it can function properly again words of
literature television cinema and music that are deemed cathartic are often
praised for being good for the human soul it is often seen as therapeutic as
many of us like Leonard have repressed memories that we have not properly come
to terms with in this way the art form allows us to let it all out while
Leonard had certainly felt sad that his mother had died he was immediately
tasked with coordinating her funeral he had to call friends and family members
and fulfill all his mother's dying wishes letting it out then simply wasn't
a priority there was no time for it and so it goes with many of our own emotions
after the adrenaline of a car accident we are immediately faced with dealing
with insurance and maintenance after losing our jobs we are immediately faced
with the pressure to get a new one and on it goes with every emotional
experience we are often expected to respond with
another action and rarely are we offered the luxury of time to assess what we
have just been through these moments afterward can often compound in
dangerous ways as we bury the feelings or deny them we hold them tight and we
pretend like they aren't there we stuffed them into a compartment in the
back of our brain like a messy miscellaneous drawer there's no time to
clean that drawer how selfish would it be especially when we know that the
outcome can't be changed no amount of crying will bring Leonard's mother back
so why bother especially now that he had so much to deal with real life comes
rushing back where was he supposed to find time to cry in the morning before
work while brushing his teeth at night no there's simply no time to be
emotional about that stuff there is no point if this is the case
emotions can erupted at inopportune times this is why people break down at
the office what cathartic work can do is allow us
to unselfishly release these emotions in a controlled environment to experience
what the characters in the story are experiencing as opposed to ones of our
own we are given a separation we are allowed to feel the feelings without
having to dig within ourselves Leonard could cry about the dying mom on screen
and not have to think directly about his own it is true that when it comes to
these deep-seated emotions it's often easier to feel someone else's as Leonard
and Sarah left the theater they gave each other a hug and a kiss she tells
him how much she enjoyed the movie he tells her about the hospital scene she
listened quietly as Leonard talked he feels a weight lifted from him the
conversation about the movie transitioned to his mother and how they
have grown apart in the last few years he told her how honored he was that his
mom wanted him to manage her final wishes he wished there was a way he
could have told her that Sarah held Leonard's arm as they walked
towards the bus station she looked forward to the movie he'll pick next
time was there a piece of artistic work that made you feel cathartic let me know
in the comments below for more videos about writing and the creative process
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