before sunset

When we are younger, our attitude is a bit carefree. We are more likely to take risks, we are more inclined to take for granted special moments; we almost cannot wait to move forward and take on the world and the challenges that are in store for us. We're almost sure that there are people out there that we will be able to connect with, people that we will be on the same level with, people that understand us.

It's the sin of youth.

We only realize when we grow a bit older that there are really only a handful of people that would know us and touch our lives. And sometimes, these people are buried in our past too deeply that it's almost impossible to dig them out.  We also come to know that our dreams and fears when we are younger are still the same dreams that we strive for and the same fears that make us weak. We never change who we are inside.

Before Sunset is a movie, a very interesting movie about an afternoon between two people who shared a one night stand some nine years in the past. The experience of their shared past has left an indelible mark in their lives that they were never able to move on. A finely crafted piece, rather romantic than cynical as it will never happen in real life. The conversations between the characters seem so universal in some ways that one cannot help but relate to them. One doesn't need to have a one night affair to understand this work. One only needs to  fall in love and be loved, and be stupid to let it go thinking that they have a whole life ahead of them to find another soul to connect with; thinking that in time, perhaps they would change and everything will be different.

When it's still morning in our lives and we recognize a connection with another soul, there's no point letting it go on a hope that perhaps another soul is out there and maybe it will fit us better once we changed over time. Thing is, if we can enjoy the whole day, why cram before sunset?