In the days of old, the eyeballs of the Medical Profession were at the patellas. All were in the darkness of ignorance, groping via trial and error. Dirty gloves were used and reused till they tore. Single needles used on multiple patients. Painful surgeries without anaesthesia. Surgery equipments were not sterilized. In fact, ‘sterile’ was accepted as standard medical practice as recently as the early 20th century. Thank God for advancements in science!
Bleeding was one of the crude practices carried out by the doctors of those days. They would usually bleed a terminally ill patient, with the hope that ‘old contaminated’ blood would be flushed out of the body! As you probably guessed right, these patients were usually bled to death.
The logic behind bleeding in those days was plausible, but was not practical for a number of reasons. For instance, blood is needed to transport materials such as oxygen, food nutrients and waste round the body. Bleeding a terminally sick patient was always going to make matters worse. Also, ‘flushing’ out ‘old blood’ isn’t going to do anything if the basic cause of the sickness was not found. Even if it could, it would take weeks, if not months for the ‘new blood’ to meet the required volume necessary to support life!
Thankfully, doctors don’t bleed patients nowadays. But as individuals, we should NEVER stop bleeding ourselves. Figuratively, of course!
We all have character flaws that we aren’t happy with.
We find ourselves in circumstances we’re uncomfortable in.
We all want a better quality of life for ourselves and loved ones.
But are we ready to bleed?
Are we ready to take a leap of faith and let go of whatever we already have in order to get what we are anxiously looking for?
Are we ready to release the old to make room for the new?
Are we ready to jump headlong into uncertainty?
I can’t answer these questions for you. But as you are pondering on these matters, I wish you a Happy Bleeding in advance.
