Would you like to save your journey so far?

Graduation is not an irreversible change.
For me, graduation is a transition as calm as a lull.

A new beginning, a blessing, a transformation, a release, a farewell.
These are the kinds of things that come to mind when I hear the word graduation.

As someone who chooses not to change, all of these words felt somewhat heavy to me.
Perhaps I am incapable of graduating.

Since I cannot answer the prompt "I am graduating from XX" that I received from Kaze no Boushi-san's membership with this mindset, I decided to try looking at it from a slightly different perspective.

Is graduation truly a farewell?

If one graduates, does that mean they have completely parted ways with their past self?

I do not think so.
Because without the self I have been until now, the current me would not exist.

Because of what the self I have been until now has accumulated, the current me can take a new step forward.
Could we not think of it that way?

Of course, graduating from something itself is not a bad thing.
For some, it is a rite of passage to organize oneself and feel a sense of clarity.

However, I feel a little sad when I see graduation turned into a ritual for discarding the past as something bad.
This is because the past is also something that becomes fuel for moving into the future.

I believe it is a ritual to say to the self I have been until now, "Good work. You did your best," and let them rest.

Certainly, the past self may have been a troublesome person with many immature and lacking qualities.
But that, too, is me.

The self that worried, got hurt, and yet kept moving forward was there, even if ungracefully.
Is forgetting that not the opposite of a true graduation?

Just as when you visit your alma mater after graduating, you feel a sense of nostalgia for the age and narrowness of the buildings.
Or as you realize that a teacher you haven't seen in a long time is just an ordinary adult.

There are things to be gained by looking back.
Because they are past events, you can view them with a calm perspective, for better or worse.

There is a limit to the amount of luggage a person can carry.
You cannot move forward while carrying too much on your back.

So, I will put it down for now.

However, this is not a final goodbye.

You can always come back to retrieve it.
Because it is a part of who you are.

It is okay to stop and look back.
Because the past remains right there, unchanged.

If I can feel proud of both the self that changes and the self that remains the same, I believe that is what it means to have graduated.

Therefore, the day will surely come when the current me will be graduated from as well.
When that day arrives, I intend to push the back of the me who is moving forward now with all my might.

Kaze no Boushi-san, thank you for this wonderful project.