Letting Go: The Hypocrisy of Holding On While Moving On

Moving on is a choice one that requires acceptance, growth, and sometimes, walking away from people who no longer serve our journey. But what happens when someone claims to have moved on, yet still holds onto bitterness, resentment, or control over another person? That’s where hypocrisy comes in.

If you’ve truly moved on from someone, whether it’s an ex, a former friend, or even a family member, then there should be no lingering need to hold onto them whether through anger, blame, or the need to prove something. Holding onto someone while claiming to be over them is not only contradictory, but it’s also selfish. It prevents both parties from fully embracing their own lives and moving forward in peace.

True growth means releasing the past, not keeping it in your back pocket for when it benefits you. Some people move on physically but not emotionally they say they’re done, yet they still speak on the situation, stalk social media, or hold onto a narrative that keeps them in a place of victimhood. Others move on in status but not in spirit, holding onto resentment just in case they need to remind the world of their suffering. But real healing doesn’t need an audience. It just is.

If you’ve moved on, act like it. Let go of the grudges, the silent competitions, and the need to keep tabs on someone you say no longer matters. The past may have shaped you, but it doesn’t define you. Living in the past while claiming to embrace the future is nothing but a contradiction, and at some point, it’s time to either truly move forward or admit that you haven’t.

Life is too short to waste energy on people you no longer walk with. Moving on means making peace, not carrying baggage disguised as closure. The most powerful thing you can do is truly let go and mean it.