The Cut

Imagine that you’re working on something in your garage, and a tool slips. You get a deep cut on your hand, so you wash it out and bandage it.

You don’t know what kind of problem you have. Not yet. You’ll find out the next day.

So the next day comes and you change the bandage. Now you’ll find out what kind of problem you have, and it will be one of two types.

In one scenario, you change the bandage and the wound looks better. It’s already starting to scab over and heal a bit, and it’s smaller than it was the day before. Your hand is still injured, but you’ve learned what kind of problem you have – the kind that will go away on its own in a little while.

In the other scenario, you change the bandage and the wound looks worse. It’s red, inflamed, and maybe starting to seep. The veins around it are red and the skin around it is black. It hurts to move and it’s warm to the touch; sure signs of infection. Now you’ve learned that you have the other kind of problem. This is the kind of problem that won’t go away on its own. This is the kind that will get worse and worse until it takes your arm or even kills you unless you take active steps to prevent it.

All problems are one of these two kinds. Often you need at least two data points to know, but just as often that’s all you need. Look at the same problem a few days apart. Did it get better? Will it?

If not, you need to act now. If waiting isn’t the solution, then waiting is your greatest enemy. Either time will solve the issue, or time is what’s killing you. You need to know – and once you do know, you can’t lie to yourself.

That’s the deepest cut.