Blackhole Reaction

P. 222 of the pdf where Rob's friend, Dave, helps them unload their things from the car and take them to their tent.

The part of this caption where Dave reminds Chris that he used to sit next to her in 10th grade French was really poignant because it shows a picture of the happy, smiling Dave in 10th grade compared to the frowning, deformed Dave of the present. This was so meaningful to me because these images represent two different worlds separated by time but connected by the decisions that led to the dark place Dave lives in now. This is a great example of how poor decision making can ruin a life that would be completely normal and happy otherwise. Whether those decisions involve drugs, unsafe sex, criminal activity, etc. there is a sharp pang of regret that coincides with the thought of innocence lost. To think back to life as a child or a young adult when the world seemed so bright and everything was new and exciting and then to relate that to the responsibilities and routines that go along with aging is a sad thing to do. Innocence is something that only exists for a certain amount of time and then once it is gone, it is gone forever. To think of the individual decisions and actions that lead to the loss of innocence is nostalgic and heavy, but it is important to remember that lost innocence does not necessarily mean things will be bad in the future, it simply means that things will be different. Accepting this difference, like Dave must do with his deformity, is what is necessary to keep on living a somewhat ordinary life, despite the decisions of the past.