About two months ago my car was pummeled by a sudden, rather violent hailstorm. I replaced the windshield, the taillights, and a mirror. I decided to do nothing about the roof, hood, and passenger side that are as dimpled as a golf ball.
I could have had the car declared a total loss, but why? The engine still runs as well as ever, the brakes still work, the steering is still true, and the tires are still round. It can still do all the things it did before. The car always had personality. It’s a hyper-green Jeep with a license plate that says its name is Ugene. (Fans of Popeye will understand.)
I am of the opinion that the remaining damage adds character to its personality. It says, “I have weathered the storm”. I like to think that’s a positive reflection on the owner. I’ve been around seventy years now, and although many cannot be seen on the exterior, I have the scars to prove it.
The acquisition of scars reflects character. Scars remind us of how far we have come and what we have endured. They are tokens, written on our body and soul, of having dared to live, love, and survive. There is a scene in the movie Jaws where Quint and Hooper compare their scars. It is meant to be humorous and give the audience a light-hearted moment before things really go wrong. It reveals how the characters take each other’s measure and decide trustworthiness.
Perhaps that’s a totally guy thing to do, but then I’m a guy, so there’s that. My friends and I have our own version of the scene. Some call it telling war stories, to us it's just how things were. Say what you will, it makes us better together because it speaks not only to shared experience but stamps us with a seal of brotherhood. It is a mark of character obtained in no other way.
Maranatha
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