Jan. 10 - Write About A Wound

Lessons From Kung Fu Panda 2

Paramount Studios/Dreamworks

  
Lord Shen: How... how did you... how did you do it?
Po: I don't know. Elbows up; keep your shoulders loose...
Lord Shen: Not that. How did you find peace? I took away your parents. Everything. I scarred you for life.
Po: See, that's the thing, Shen. Scars heal.
Lord Shen: No, they don't, wounds heal.

Wounds do heal, but only if we let them. Too often we are like soldiers showing off our battle scars. We allow our wounds to define us. Sadly, we can become bitter, resentful people and convince ourselves we have every right to act that way.

We can choose peace. It involves forgiveness, letting go, and love. Our hardened society seems to view these things as new age hog wash, but that is simply our fear of vulnerability speaking. We can also get hung up on destructive thinking that tells us we can't forgive, let go of our wounds, and allow love to warm our hearts because that would be akin to lying to ourselves. After all, we can't deny our feelings. Ah, but I say that is hog wash. None of these things involve denying our feelings or lying to ourselves. In fact, I'd say it takes bravery and honesty to heal our wounds.

Forgiveness seems to be the tough one. It is hard to forgive someone we feel has wronged us, especially when it involved deep trauma like childhood abuse or any type of violence. It is hard enough with lesser crimes, the daily dirt we all carry with us. Forgiveness is not something we do for the perpetrator. It is something we do for ourselves so we can find peace, so we can heal.

Once we forgive, letting go of our wounds and allowing that space to fill with love and compassion toward others will occur with little effort. It is then we will truly know peace. Of course, it is not going to be easy. Just as Po struggles through out most of the movie, we too will struggle with forgiveness. But it will be worth it. We will be more capable of maintaining what matters most - our relationships. If we can't forgive those in our past, we will not be able to forgive those around us right here, right now. The wounds we carry around with pride also prohibit us from closeness to others. We wouldn't let anyone touch an open wound. It hurts too much. Wounds to our soul are no less painful.