If you had a choice to heal a deep wound from the inside out but it would take more time to permanently heal, or put a quick band aid on top of the wound that might never permanently heal, which course of action would you choose?
Whether the wound is physical, psychological or emotional, we always have that choice. The statistics of people who choose the band aid effect is astounding.
Do you take precautions to prevent accidents, illness, and debilitating issues or do you wait for them to happen and then deal with the consequences?
Joseph Malins, a 19th century English poet wrote the following poem which addresses this question:
A Fence or an Ambulance
‘Twas a dangerous cliff, as they freely confessed,
Though to walk near its crest was so pleasant;
But over its terrible edge there had slipped
A duke and full many a peasant.
So the people said something would have to be done,
But their projects did not at all tally;
Some said, “Put a fence around the edge of the cliff,”
Some, “An ambulance down in the valley.”
But the cry for the ambulance carried the day,
For it spread through the neighboring city;
A fence may be useful or not, it is true,
But each heart became brimful of pity
For those who slipped over that dangerous cliff;
And the dwellers in highway and alley
Gave pounds or gave pence, not to put up a fence,
But an ambulance down in the valley.
“For the cliff is all right, if you’re careful,” they said,
“And, if folks even slip and are dropping,
It isn’t the slipping that hurts them so much,
As the shock down below when they’re stopping.”
So day after day, as these mishaps occurred,
Quick forth would those rescuers sally
To pick up the victims who fell off the cliff,
With their ambulance down in the valley.
Then an old sage remarked: “It’s a marvel to me
That people give far more attention
To repairing results than to stopping the cause,
When they’d much better aim at prevention.
Let us stop at its source all this mischief,” cried he,
“Come, neighbors and friends, let us rally;
If the cliff we will fence we might almost dispense
With the ambulance down in the valley.”
Better guide the young than reclaim them when old,
For the voice of true wisdom is calling,
“To rescue the fallen is good, but ’tis best
To prevent other people from falling.”
Better close up the source of temptation and crime
Than deliver from dungeon or galley;
Better put a strong fence round the top of the cliff
Than an ambulance down in the valley.
So, will you put up a strong fence of prevention or, will you fall off the cliff and have the ambulance waiting for you when you fall?
For me the choice is clear. I’d rather choose healing thoughts than be depressed. I’d rather choose my own magnificence than give in to my old fearful beliefs. I’d rather consciously face the truth and deal with the effects, than lie to myself and endure unconsciousness.
I’d rather build a fence of prevention than have an ambulance waiting for me after I fall.
