I’m a big fan of “Forrest Gump.” If I’m channel surfing and happen upon this classic I usually watch it until the credits roll.
As I get wiser and learn more about life, what sticks out the most in the movie is the relationship between Forrest and Jenny.
Forrest loved Jenny. It was a love that ignored Jenny’s faults and her flaws. Forrest’s love accepted who Jenny was and instead of letting her past interfere with his capacity to love her so much, he held onto that love and it never wavered.
Forrest may not have been the most knowledgeable person but he was the Albert Einstein of matters involving the heart.
Forrest may have tried to save Jenny from herself, but he always let her be free. When she would return in his life he would accept her as she was and enjoy the time they spent together. But Forrest also understood the hurt he felt whenever Jenny took herself out of his life. I think that his time spent running across the country had the most impact on the way I viewed their relationship. Experiencing heartbreak is disastrous and I felt like Forrest was running away from the debris of his broken heart. But it’s endearing that through all of those things he forgives Jenny, who genuinely shows contrition.
It might seem odd that I am analyzing the relationship of two characters that graced the silver screen when I was the ripe age of five. I just think that Forrest is a good example of unconditional love -something I don’t see a lot of anymore.
I see people – myself included – who want others to love them with their whole hearts but won’t do the same. People who want their past to be disregarded but refuse to ignore someone else’s skeletons. People who hide their love for fear of what the consequences may be.
I don’t claim to know a lot about loving someone. Hell, I’ve only been on this earth for 19 years, but I do understand that to love someone is to love them in spite of their faults.
I feel that as human beings we take away portions of others to help improve ourselves and I have no problem in saying that I would be fine if I could love someone half as much as Forrest did Jenny.
And love is like vegetables, you need it to grow big and strong.