Forrest Gump

Why Forrest Gump stopped running: Wishing to go ahead or go back?

We all probably remember that famous scene: after running for “three years, two months, fourteen days and sixteen hours” Forrest Gump suddenly stopped and just went back home.
What was that about?

We could say that the desire to go ahead to find our destiny, is deeply etched in our human nature, as is the desire to go back.
Some studies on animal behaviour suggest that “Certain fishes, undertake laborious migrations in order to deposit their spawn in particular waters far removed from their customary haunts, so they are maybe seeking out the localities in which their species formerly resided. The same is applied to the migratory flights of birds of passage. All instincts tend towards the restoration of an earlier state of things.” (Sigmund Freud: “Beyond the pleasure principle”).

Now, back to humans and just as an example, it happens that at certain phases of life, some people may want to visit the places where their ancestors lived.
Thus, our destiny will build itself on a combination of these two inner forces: one leading us ahead, and the other one leading us back.

And also other forces which do not rise from our decisions, whatever they are.

As Forrest said: “I don’t know if we each have a destiny, or if we’re all just floatin’ around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it’s both…maybe both happening at the same time...”