Time heals all wounds. Isn't that what they say? It makes me wonder about the origin of such an empty promise, repeated ad nauseum to the wounded as they writhe in pain. In my experience, it is bullshit. From a physiological stand point, the body has an amazing ability to repair a world of wrongs, progressing through scientific stages of wound healing. But while time is an essential component, other interventions are often necessary. Incision of flesh, cutting out disease, grafting in foreign material to replace inborn errors, pumping carefully dosed poisons meant to kill the sickness and minimize collateral damage. And we wait. After a positive outcome, time gets all the credit. He adds another hash mark to the tally of wounds he has healed. "All wounds"--those are pretty good statistics. We need not look far for data to debunk time's padded numbers. Any health care provider will vouch that we are saving people now who would surely have died just years ago. What we are saving them to is an entirely different can of worms I dare not open. Even with such great advances, not all wounds are healed, no matter how much time drags on.
When one considers wounds of the emotional variety, healing rates seem to decrease significantly. We feverishly paint the silver lining into our darkness to provide lessons and practical applications in order to alleviate the pain. However this does not constitute healing, but rather a means of coping. Varying degrees of emotional trauma are swept under a rug, medicated into silence, dissected through hours of dialogue. All the while, these scars are ironed into the fabric of who we are becoming. If we decide we like who that person is, we consider ourselves healed. But what if the mirror's reflection shows someone unlovely, unacceptable, unrecognizable? The best time can do is diminish the power of the impact. Regardless of the accumulation of years, a population of broken people limping through life reflect the reality that not all wounds will heal.
Bandaged, covered, protected. Festering, faded, forgotten. But not healed.
2 comments:
No idea why I stopped to read this when I should be getting ready for work... but this is pretty brilliantly said, blogmomma. That is a stupid phrase that nobody should ever use- and it's a crock. That's how I would have said it... you went a little further. I believe in a Healer of all wounds- someday- but it ain't time.
These are my sentiments exactly. Well said, Michelle. Well said, my friend.
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