A 65-year-old man named Harold embarked on a long hiking journey alone after receiving a farewell letter from his terminally ill friend, Queenie. He firmly believed that as long as he was on the road, Queenie would survive. After 87 days and 627 miles, he successfully reached his destination and achieved self-redemption. This story is from the novel "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" by British author Rachel Joyce. Since its publication in 2012, the novel has been a bestseller in 40 countries, with global sales of 4 million copies, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
Movie: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
01 Acceptance, Coping with Discontent
Many times, we often find things going against our wishes. Some choose to face it bravely, while others choose to evade and retreat. Different choices lead to different outcomes. Harold's childhood was bleak; his father was an alcoholic, and his mother was utterly disappointed. The lack of love formed the backdrop of his childhood. At a young age, he learned to survive, burying himself in the dust like an ostrich. When he was 13, his mother left with her luggage, and Harold's hand could only gently slide over her silk scarf as he tried to hold her back. After his mother left, his father brought various women home for pleasure. The house felt as cold as an ice cave, and he seemed like a wild grass that could be discarded at any moment. At 16, his father cruelly kicked him out of the house, forcing him to fend for himself. One day, he met Maureen at a dance hall, and it was love at first sight. However, their loving days were short-lived. The birth of their son, David, shattered their sweet world. Maureen poured all her love into David, afraid he would melt in her mouth or fall from her hands. Meanwhile, Harold felt anxious and helpless; even when he wanted to hold David, he didn't know how. When David nearly drowned, he could only stand by, fiddling with his shoelaces, waiting for others to rescue him. Due to the lack of love in his childhood, Harold didn't know how to be a father or express love. David graduated from Cambridge but suffered from depression. He became addicted to alcohol and drugs, and Harold silently took away the bottles piled up in his room without offering any comfort. Later, David committed suicide, and Maureen was heartbroken. She blamed her husband's incompetence, believing everything was his fault. After this tragedy, although they lived under the same roof, they became like strangers. From then on, an insurmountable chasm lay between them. The shadow of Harold's childhood wrapped him tightly like a large spider web. Growing up in a desert of love, he wouldn't sow seeds of love, and this home was gradually heading towards desolation. The sense of helplessness in life resembles the trivialities of our reality. Work troubles can make us anxious, silently weeping in a corner; life's blows can cause us immense pain, leaving us alone in the dark with no one to confide in; marital unhappiness can leave us at a loss, wallowing in self-pity within the confines of marriage. The harsh reality shows that no one's life can be perfect. Montgomery once said, "The world is inherently imperfect; we cannot expect everything to be perfect." We always hope for our dreams to come true, but often things go awry. Life is neither as good as we imagine nor as bad as we think. In the face of an unsatisfactory life, we must learn to accept it calmly.
02 Change, the Beginning of Awakening
There is a line in "Zootopia": "Life will always have its ups and downs. We all make mistakes. It doesn't matter what your nature is; what matters is that you start to change." Change is a necessary path to maturity and awakening. One Tuesday, Harold received a letter from St. Bernadine's Hospice. The letter was from his colleague Queenie, who wrote to tell Harold that she had cancer and didn't have much time left, specifically saying goodbye to him. Memories flooded back, unlocking Harold's long-sealed recollections. At that time, Harold was a sales representative at a brewery, and Queenie was in finance. Queenie was meticulous and serious about her work but was ridiculed by colleagues for her plain appearance. Once, after being humiliated by her colleagues, she hid behind a cabinet and cried. Harold happened to find her and offered great comfort, which warmed Queenie's heart. Originally just acquaintances, they became close friends. However, this friendship did not last long. David's suicide was like a bolt from the blue. Harold was heartbroken and drowned his sorrows in alcohol. One day, after drinking, Harold accidentally broke a clown doll that belonged to his boss's mother. The boss was furious, and at that moment, Queenie stepped in to take the blame for Harold, resulting in her losing her job. Queenie hurriedly left the brewery, burying all her grievances deep inside. For all these years, Harold had never said a word to her, not even a "thank you." He passed by one mailbox after another, hesitating to send his reply. On the road, he met a girl at a gas station. She told him that faith could change some things. Harold suddenly awakened; he decided to walk to Berwickshire to visit Queenie, firmly believing that as long as he was on the road, Queenie would survive. All along, Harold had tightly sealed his heart, living like a wooden man, allowing guilt and regret to tear at his soul. The girl's words seemed to be an axe that broke the ice in his heart. At that moment, he finally listened to the call of his heart and bravely made a change; this was the first time he took control of his life. In real life, many people face life's hardships and have experienced confusion and retreat. The writer Shi Tiesheng faced paralysis in his youth. He once didn't know what he could do, deeply trapped in self-doubt, letting fate dictate his life. However, after countless days and nights spent with the Earth Altar, he finally understood the meaning of life and completed his masterpiece "Me and the Earth Altar." In fact, everyone's life is like this; life is always full of infinite possibilities and variables. As Andy Warhol said, "People always say time can change many things, but in fact, those changes must come from you." True awakening begins the moment you decide to change. It is never too late to awaken at any point in life; as long as you are willing to change, you can be reborn and grow strong.
03 Letting Go, Reconciling with Oneself
Unprepared, Harold embarked on a journey that he could leave at any moment. However, with heavy rain, muddy roads, and painful legs, this seemed like an impossible task. The destination, 627 miles away, was a physical challenge for 65-year-old Harold and a test of his mental will. As time flowed backward on the journey, memories vividly replayed in his mind. He couldn't forget the wounds of his childhood, firmly believing he was an unfortunate person, allowing time to wear him down, consuming the enthusiasm of his family and friends without guilt. He had always lived in his own world, and this journey made him see that everyone has their own suffering and sadness, and everyone has their own difficult scriptures to read. He saw a woman who had lost her child, who, despite her sorrow, was living life earnestly; he met a doctor named Martina, who had been abandoned by her boyfriend, who, despite her grievances, compassionately helped others. This journey allowed him to see the suffering of all beings, and in the face of these hardships, his own pain seemed trivial. Thus, he learned to slowly let go. Every place he visited, he called his wife to report his safety, sent her postcards every few days, and bought small gifts. He seemed to have changed into a different person, no longer indifferent, and learned to think of others, understanding and empathizing. Maureen also changed during this journey. She had tried to stop Harold from taking this adventurous trip and had wanted the hospital to bring him back under the pretext of treatment. She gradually discovered Harold's past warmth and often reminisced about their sweet youth. Blaming Harold for David's departure was clearly unfair. When Harold was nearly collapsing 16 miles from the finish line, Maureen encouraged him over the phone not to give up. In the end, Harold and Maureen arrived at the hospice in Berwickshire, where they accompanied Queenie through the last moments of her life together. Harold reflected on his misunderstandings of Maureen over the years, the love he had missed, and the regrets of the past. They found trust and understanding in each other during this journey, let go of the past, and reconciled with themselves. In life, if we carry too much, we will eventually be crushed. Being entangled in the past only draws a line in the sand, preventing us from moving forward; dwelling on yesterday only leaves us helpless, waiting for doom. Some things need to be turned over; rather than being trapped in the past, it's better to shed the "shackles" and move forward lightly. Hermann Hesse said, "Some people think that persistence makes us stronger, but sometimes, letting go is."
Letting go of the past and reconciling with oneself is the beginning of a person's strength.
Learn to accept, try to change, bravely let go, and keep moving forward. Only then can one, like Harold in the latter half of his life, take control of life and have freedom.