Is It Ok To Leave The Past Behind?

It seems quite often that the music of a good friend of mine seems to echo similar struggles in my life that seems to ask the questions for me while I ponder a response. I've been going back and listening a lot to the song 'Vendetta White' by my friend's band Birds of New York and its making me draw a few similar conclusions in life.

According to Ryan, the song is his reaction to the downfall of Resident Hero with all the feelings during the aftermath of being hurt, angry, and moving on. As the song progresses its seems to reflect back on the series of emotions that he went through and the feelings of hope and finally leaving it all behind and looking forward. Lines such as: "I was a battle cry, the dark of black
But the older that I get the less I want it back" and "Is it okay to leave the past behind?
Keep moving forward with your eyes up to the sky" seem to resonate most.

Lately I've done a lot of reflecting on the past. Moments I haven't thought about in a long while that have had profound effects on my life. Moments that I wonder if I've just forgotten about, gotten over, buried away so deep that I've shut them out, I don't know. Not all bad things, just things that don't seem to register to me as real memories anymore, just that they did in fact happen and I don't seem to notice anymore. The whole path of where I've been with this band, when my folks divorced over ten years ago, and the more telling and recent struggles I've had within the last year. Its just a wonder how my brain works sometimes. I know for a fact that when I'm deeply troubled about things I immediately let my mind wander to something else to handle the shock of things, but eventually take it a piece at a time. Other times I just don't think about them at all, letting them sink deep....somewhere. I'm not really sure where. Where do they go? And more importantly will they ever come back up? Or do they go there to die?

The latter is obviously not the case as some things in life that I bury down deep have scarred so badly on the way down that they still are alive and kicking down there somewhere, but the concept of not thinking about them makes the situation all the more strange if and when I do reflect back on them. The prominent players that were once a big deal, be they family, friends, or loved ones tend to become background characters or strangers in general. They take on different roles that I don't quite recognize anymore sadly. And it is sad to think about. I've had best friends in years past that I don't see, keep contact with, nor think about anymore when those days long ago I would spend so much time hanging out with them. Don't even get me started on relationships because those are sadder as is.

The point I'm trying to make here is that question in the title if not a little more, "when is it ok to leave the past behind?" and "when are you able to?" I guess now a days I go from the phrasing that Time is Nothing and everything will come full circle and make right one day to Time Is Everything and that every key moment and key person in your life has their moment or moments then their part is done, like in a play. Once the curtain is drawn down they take their bow and head off stage, never to return. Its sad how life works out that way. Sadder that if you push it down deep enough that you don't even seem to care, even though there is no denying that you are denying and that you do care. So very much.