Awhile back, I rewatched the 1942 Hollywood classic, Casablanca, a film set in Morocco in the early days of World War II. Some say it was the best screenplay ever written.
You probably remember that the hero, Rick — played masterfully by Humphrey Bogart — prides himself on staying aloof from war and violence all around. Though charming and dapper, he has little sympathy for others, often saying, “The only person I care about is me.”
He’s the picture of the stoic, self-controlled man admired by others and pursued by women.
Things change when his former sweetheart, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) shows up in Rick’s Cafe. Her presence brings back a flood of memories, especially the pain of her abandoning him years earlier. We realize that Rick isn’t so much a stoic as a refugee, hiding behind a wall of hurt, resentment and anger.
But when Rick decides to embrace and move past his pain, he is able to help Ilsa and her husband escape the Nazis. In that bold move, we sense that Rick is making his own emotional escape.
I’ve noticed that letting go of toxic emotions is not a one-time act. It is a process of peeling the onion of our inner life only to discover as we go deeper that there is always one more layer of truth.
Anger and grief from past wounds, especially those intentionally inflicted, rarely dissipate quickly. In fact, they often return unexpectedly, in waves over months and years.
I’ve learned to receive each new wave as an invitation to release those feelings again and thank God for them achieving a purpose in my life. And it does wonders…
Would you join me on this empowering journey?