Learning to Let Go for Freedom of Heart

All the troubles in life, at their root, stem from our inability to let go. We burden our bodies and minds with heavy baggage, and so living becomes increasingly exhausting.

"The wise act effortlessly; the foolish bind themselves." People often shackle their own hearts and pile pressure onto their spirits. Thus, "letting go" is not merely a mindset of release—it is a clear-eyed wisdom.

No matter your present circumstances, let go of yesterday’s glory, let go of past suffering, and release all unnecessary burdens.

To decisively relinquish is a wise choice.

A backpack stuffed too full becomes heavy, cumbersome, and tiring.

No life can carry too much luggage. On the broad road of existence, we are destined to leave many things behind. Decisive letting go is a wise and lucid way of facing life. Only by learning to relinquish what ought to be relinquished can we move lightly through the journey, singing as we go.

1. Letting go is not simply discarding—it is consciously shedding unnecessary burdens.

In a lifetime, it is inevitable to encounter misfortune and pain, but whether joy or sorrow, failure or success, all will eventually fade into the past with the flow of time. We need not dwell on setbacks and hardship, nor become complacent over fleeting triumphs. Everything, whether beautiful or painful, will eventually become a memory.

If you forever carry these memories, they will hinder your steps and entangle your life. Forget the wounds that once cut so deep, forget the suffering you once could barely bear, forget the glory you once achieved... Letting go of the past, you will find a happier life.

Aunt Ellen is a character from Lu Xun’s novella, "The New Year’s Sacrifice." After her only son, Milo, was killed by wolves, Aunt Ellen became trapped in her grief, recounting Milo’s fate to anyone she met. "I was so foolish, truly..." Her words carried the deep regret and remorse of a mother. The details of the tragedy—Milo’s organs devoured, his small hand still clutching a basket—etched themselves into her memory. She repeated the story as if seeking relief for her pain, hoping for understanding and comfort from other parents. Yet the more she spoke of Milo, the more sorrowful she became, spiraling into a cycle of anguish from which she could not escape.

In our own lives, we often encounter people like Aunt Ellen—those who, after being hurt, collapse and sink into an ocean of pain, unable to move beyond their wounds, spending each day licking their scars.

A young woman, devastated by a breakup, loses faith in life. At this moment, someone gently reminds her: "Before you fell in love, how did you live? Weren't you just as happy, carefree, and untroubled? Now your days have simply returned to what they once were—so you have lost nothing." Hearing this, the young woman suddenly understands.

No matter what we lose or how deeply we are hurt, we must not lose hope in life.

Ken Matsushita began working outside at a very young age. After his father passed away, he alone shouldered the heavy burden of supporting his entire family, experiencing the hardships of life far too early.

At the age of twenty-two, he became an inspector at an electric company. One day, feeling unwell, Ken Matsushita went to the hospital and learned he had inherited a family illness that had already taken the lives of nine relatives before the age of thirty. With no way out, he found a sense of openness and mentally prepared himself for whatever might come. Later, he developed his own methods for battling the illness: constantly adjusting his mindset, facing his disease with equanimity, and mobilizing his body's immunity and resilience to fight it—keeping himself full of energy. This process lasted a year, during which his body grew stronger and his spirit more resilient.

A year of struggling with illness, combined with setbacks at work, led him to resign and start his own socket business. At the start of his venture, World War I broke out and prices soared, while Ken Matsushita had less than 100 yen in capital. The company's first products were sockets and lamp holders, but sales were poor and the factory was on the verge of collapse. Eventually, employees left one after another, and Ken Matsushita found himself in dire straits.

Yet he did not give up on his dream. He saw all these hardships as a necessary part of starting a business. He told himself, “If I put in a little more effort, I will surely succeed! I am already closer to success than before.”

Hard work pays off for those who are dedicated. With Ken Matsushita’s persistence, his business gradually turned around, and the company slowly got back on track.

In 1929, a global economic crisis swept the world, and Japan was not spared. Electrical sales plummeted and inventories soared. The outbreak of World War II sent Japan’s economy down a twisted path, and Japan’s defeat left Ken Matsushita with almost nothing. Yet he never gave in—he only grew stronger with each setback.

Today, Panasonic is a world-renowned brand. If, in that moment when he learned of his illness, Ken Matsushita had lost hope and sunk into grief, perhaps we would never have seen the famous brand that exists today.

Life is full of unexpected events. These events themselves are not frightening; what is frightening is our inability to pull ourselves out of their impact and quickly move forward in our best state. Even if we have nothing, we can start from scratch and build ourselves up step by step. No matter when, we should always believe: after enduring hardship, happiness will surely come.

Everyone knows that Leo Li was a famous Romantic poet of the Tang dynasty, and his life was legendary. The famous line, "Laughing at the sky, I step out the door—how could I ever be a commoner?" reveals his lofty ambition beneath his carefree and proud demeanor. Later, his extraordinary talent brought him fame throughout the land, and he became a Hanlin Academician—a title coveted by many ancient scholars. But after some time, Leo Li realized he was merely a decorative court poet for the emperor. At this point, he faced a choice: remain in the palace as an Academician, enjoying wealth and honor, or leave the palace and live a free but impoverished life. Weighing his options, Leo Li resolutely chose, “How could I ever bend my brows and bow my back to serve the mighty, and lose my joyful face?”—and abandoned his official post.

This chapter is not yet finished~.~ Please click to the next page to continue reading the wonderful content ahead!

In truth, our lives are shaped by countless choices. Often, decisions that seem trivial lay the foundation for our major choices later on. No matter how lofty our ideals or grand our ambitions, we must begin with small steps, with ordinary actions. Therefore, even seemingly minor choices deserve careful attention.

Only by choosing what truly suits us can we achieve something; otherwise, life becomes unbearable.

A teacher took his student to a mysterious warehouse, which was filled with treasures radiating a magical glow. The student was delighted by the dazzling array before him. He picked up one item and examined it closely, finding the word 'Happiness' engraved on it. Then he picked up another, which read 'Kindness.' It turned out that every treasure here was inscribed with words—Pride, Integrity, Happiness, Love, Fame, Profit, Pain, Anxiety, and so on.

The teacher told the student, "Each treasure here represents something. You may take those you need."

Hearing this, the student was overjoyed. But the treasures were all so beautiful and alluring—he loved each one he saw, grabbing them and stuffing them into his pockets.

Soon his pockets were full. The student, carrying his bulging pockets, reluctantly left the warehouse with his teacher. On the way home, he felt the load growing heavier and heavier. Before long, he was out of breath and his legs felt weak.

At this point, the teacher spoke: "My child, I think you should let go of some treasures—the road home is still long!"

Though the student was reluctant, he truly could not carry the load any further. He rummaged through his pockets and discarded two treasures. They continued on, but the treasures still weighed him down, and he had to stop again and again, gritting his teeth as he threw away one or two more. 'Pain' was tossed aside, 'Pride' was let go, 'Worry' was discarded. The burden grew lighter, but the student still felt heavy—the leaden weight in his legs remained.

"My child," the teacher urged once more, "look through your pockets again and see what else you can let go."

Finally, the student pulled out 'Fame' and 'Profit' and discarded them too. Now his pockets held only 'Humility,' 'Integrity,' 'Happiness,' and 'Love.' When he slung his pockets over his shoulder again, he felt much lighter.

When they reached a forest five kilometers from home, the student felt exhaustion like never before—he truly could not take another step.

"My child, see if there is anything else you can let go of. Home is only five kilometers away. If you refuse to lighten your load, we may not make it back today. When night falls, wild beasts roam these woods."

The student thought for a moment, took out 'Love,' gazed at it again and again, and reluctantly set it by the roadside.

Before nightfall, they finally made it through the forest. The teacher sighed with relief and said to the student, "My child, after this remarkable journey, you have finally learned the art of choosing and letting go."

2. Letting go is not losing, but making room to truly possess.

Everyone's inner space is limited. To fill it with more beautiful things, we must discard unnecessary contents. Only then will our hearts not be weighed down by too many burdens.

Often, the reason we cling so tightly to something and refuse to let go is because we fear that, once released, it will be lost to us. In reality, letting go does not mean losing—it means making room to truly possess. After you let go, you feel lighter; the sun is new, the world outside is new, and all the old shadows have dissipated. What greets you is a bright tomorrow.

Once, there were two farmers who crossed a mountain every day to work their fields. One evening on their way home, they found two large bundles of cotton by the roadside. Overjoyed, they realized that selling the cotton would provide enough for their families for a month. So, each man picked up a bundle and hurried home.

As they walked, one farmer spotted a large bundle on the mountain path. Looking closer, he discovered it was fine silk—more than a dozen bolts. Excited, he suggested to his companion that they both put down the cotton and take the silk instead.

But his companion refused, believing that after carrying the cotton so far, it would be a waste to abandon it now. No matter how he was persuaded, the companion would not listen. So, the first farmer did his best to carry the silk, and they continued on together.

After another stretch, the farmer carrying silk saw something shining in the woods. Approaching, he discovered it was gold. He thought, “Now I’ve truly struck it rich,” and urged his companion to put down the cotton and carry gold instead.

The companion still insisted on carrying the cotton, not wanting his earlier effort to be wasted, and doubted whether the gold was real. He advised his friend not to waste energy, lest he end up disappointed.

The farmer who found the gold wrapped two bundles of it with silk and returned home with his companion.

As they neared home, a torrential rain suddenly fell. With nowhere to hide, both men were drenched. Worse still, the cotton carried by one farmer soaked up the rain, weighing him down so much he could barely breathe, and the wet cotton was now worthless. Helpless, he had to abandon the cotton he had carried so far and returned home empty-handed, while his companion carried gold.

Undeniably, persistence is a good quality. But if your goal is mistaken and you keep pushing forward, refusing to let go, it becomes foolishness. On the wrong path, excessive persistence only leads to greater errors. The secret of successful people is to check their choices for deviations, adjust their goals wisely, let go of pointless stubbornness, and walk lightly toward success.

This chapter is not finished yet ^.^ Please click to the next page to continue reading!

Therefore, we must learn to be flexible about letting go and choosing. When to let go depends on our own circumstances. Nobel laureate Linus Pauling once said, "A good researcher must know which ideas to pursue and which to discard; otherwise, much time will be wasted on useless things."

Often, people only see the pain of letting go, forgetting the greater pain that comes from not letting go. In the film 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' there is a classic line: When you clench your fists, there is nothing inside; when you open your hands, the world is in your palms. Only those who understand letting go can live fully and abundantly within the limits of life.

There was a British mountaineer named Mike Lane, passionate about adventure. In 1976, he joined the British expedition that successfully climbed Mount Everest. On the descent, the team was caught in a snowstorm. Each step was extremely difficult, and the storm showed no sign of stopping. Their food was nearly gone, and if they camped to rest, they risked starving before reaching safety. If they pressed on, most of the markers had been buried by snow, making it easy to lose their way. To make matters worse, the oxygen equipment and luggage each climber carried weighed them down, slowing their progress. If things continued, they would collapse from fatigue even if they didn’t starve.

When the expedition was lost in confusion, Mike Lane suggested that everyone abandon all their equipment and travel light with only some food. His suggestion was met with almost unanimous opposition. The others believed it would take at least ten days to reach the base, meaning they would have to go without camping or rest, and risk freezing to death from lack of oxygen. It seemed their lives would be in extreme danger.

Facing his teammates’ concerns, Mike Lane firmly told them, "This is the only way. The snowstorm may last a long time. If we delay any longer, the markers will be buried. Once we shed the heavy loads, we will have no illusions or distractions. If we keep faith and travel light, our speed will increase—and we may survive!" In the end, the team adopted Mike Lane’s advice. Along the way, they encouraged each other, endured fatigue and cold, and pressed on day and night. As a result, they reached safety in just eight days.

By the time they reached the base, the snowstorm still had not stopped. The team members all quietly rejoiced at their decision.

Years later, staff from the British National Military Museum contacted Mike Lane, asking him to donate something related to the 1976 Mount Everest expedition. What they received were the ten toes and five right fingertips that had been amputated due to frostbite.

Because of Mike Lane’s decision, none of their mountaineering equipment survived. All that remained were those frostbitten fingertips and toes—the most unusual and precious donation the museum ever received.

"Letting go" does not mean abandoning everything—it means knowing exactly what you want, and how much.

Leo Roston was Hollywood’s fattest movie star, with a waist of 6.2 feet and a weight of 385 pounds. He could barely walk a few steps without losing his breath. Doctors repeatedly advised him to eat less and perform less, warning that his pursuit of money would endanger his life. But Roston shrugged it off: “A person only has a few short decades in this world. I may have a lot of money, but I’ll keep working hard for more—because I love money too much.”