I thought of one more small thing, concerning the last scene.
People made fun of that last scene where they take shrooms and go hiking in Big Bend. But I liked this last scene. It captures that feeling that, on the one hand, the past is past, but on the other hand, the past is always present, all of it, all layered on top of each other. As if the whole movie actually takes place over the course of about a second or two, in 18-year-old Mason’s mind, and we’re seeing the images that exist there in that span of time. I think all adults constantly have that feeling, right? That your entire adult life is sort of a mask, and you’re really 20-year-old you who’s traveled forward in time to see how it all turned out, and also you’re 15-year-old you, and 6-year-old you, and etc., all at once? You don’t actually even need shrooms for this!
Question: is it impossible to talk about a Richard Linklater movie without feeling like you’re executing a Linklater monologue pastiche?
Quomodocumque 
“I think all adults constantly have that feeling, right? That your entire adult life is sort of a mask, and you’re really 20-year-old you who’s traveled forward in time to see how it all turned out, and also you’re 15-year-old you, and 6-year-old you, and etc., all at once?”
Up until I read this, I’ve never had this feeling. But thanks to you, I do now! It feels weird.
I wonder if this feeling is particular to those that have relatively stable worldview. Anything younger than 22 year old me is an alien that used to inhabit my body.
I certainly have the feeling that I never quite turned into the adult that my parents seemed to be when I was a child. It’s more like that I came to realize that my parents hadn’t after all been proper grown-ups either.
I loved the movie and I thought the last scene was brilliant. Throughout the movie Mason went through a lot and always seemed to stay true to himself. As the film developed I found myself more and more drawn to Mason’s character. He was always asking big questions that really made you think. After everything he had been through–always feeling out of place, it was great to see him meet his tribe and come into his element in the last scene. As they all dosed up and went for a hike, we finally got a deep perspective into Mason’s experience as he was reflecting on the next chapter in life with his new lady friend. She says something like, “It’s not about seizing the moment but allowing the moment to seize us.” Mason seems to really connect with this statement and expressed how it’s happening constantly. At this moment I realized Mason’s character was so present throughout the movie.
This statement summed up the authenticity of Mason’s character and inspired me to be more of my true self. When we follow our true path everything else will fall into place.