“Moon Gang Tae belongs to Moon Gang Tae.”
Yes and No. Yes, we belong to ourselves. But no, we do not/cannot belong only to ourselves.
It is a long journey to belong to oneself. We seek, we search, we hide, we get lost, we find, we arrive. But we never do it alone, even when we feel we are alone. We need to go on the journey ourselves. Journey by proxy does not work. However, we can only undertake the journey within the web of the many intricate, complex and meaningful relationships in our life. It is impossible to belong in a vacuum.
Individuation is a critical process through which we achieve a sense of individuality distinct from the identities of others and begin to consciously exist as a human in the world. But it is not by any means an exclusive process. For it to be truly meaningful and efficacious, it necessarily needs to be inclusive.
So, yes, Moon Gang Tae belongs to Moon Gang Tae because only Moon Gang Tae can ever be Moon Gang Tae. But Moon Gang Tae belongs to Moon Gang Tae precisely because deep in the heart of things, he also “belongs” to Moon Sang Tae, to
Ko Munyeong, to Jae-su, to Juri, to Juri’s oemma. In a real way, he also “belongs” to Dr. Oh and the patients of Ok Psychiatric Hospital, to Mr. Lee and his assistant. He could never have found his face if not for ALL of them. Through this web of relationships, Gang Tae learned about the value of radical self-acceptance, unconditional loving, vulnerability, forgiveness, empathy, purposeful living – all essential ingredients of healing. Healing comes when we are able to allow ourselves to be, to live within this environment of significant relationships and experiences without excessive fear. Healing finally dawns when we are able to say “Bless what there is for being. Whatever it be, bless it because it exists. . .” (David Stendhal-Rast)
At the end, the car with Moon Sang Tae in it and the camper with Moon Gang Tae and Ko Munyeoung go off in opposite directions. It is a powerful image to keep and remember. Throughout our lives, we go off in all sorts of directions with confidence because we know that home will always beckon us back to those we love; to those who know and understand that we belong to ourselves, they belong to themselves and we belong to each other. So going off wherever in the world (within and without) is never just about individuation, or separation, but of deep communion.
Author: sisid 130820
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