Confronting Pain

I just finished the Kingdom Hearts Re:coded game and there is a very interesting message during the ending portion of the game. Sora is told that he has two choices, to forget everything and throw his hurt away, along with his memories of the past, or to face his hurt and conquer it. Sora struggles with this for a long time. He asks himself how he should react to hurt and he wonders what type of hurt it is. The interesting thing is that Sora chooses to keep his hurt, and learn from it, even when he has the option to throw away, what feels like a void in his heart. This is where Mickey steps in and tells him, that even if his memories are painful, he still treasures them. Mickey also explains that you may forget the identity of someone from the past, but you will never forget them in your heart. Sappy? I don't think so. This makes sense because hurt is forgotten, and it is also not forgotten. The experience is still remembered, but the details are jumbled up in your mind. I was told this weekend that I don't get over pain, and I think that is true. Maybe instead of feeling like I have an option to run away from painful memories, I should confront them within myself and improve my experiences in the future.
The point of this idea that Sora had a choice to let go of hurt, or confront it is a comment on the way people cope with painful situations. In the case of Kingdom Hearts, it is more courageous than running from darkness or allowing it to control you. Confronting pain or darkness is not an easy task, which is the point. In the case of Riku, he had to accept the darkness within himself in order to confront it. Sora has to do this with pain. It is a good lesson. In order to cope with pain, you must accept it, and understand it. Only then can you confront the pain and conquer the experience. Both Sora and Riku learn this lesson with the help of King Mickey, and discover that they are stronger than they thought they were. Their battles and challenges are symbolic of the personal battles and challenges that someone has within. These internal lessons are an important part of pain.