Optical Allusionist

I recently heard the song “Damaged” by Plumb. The song is a narrative from a woman's point of view. She had been sexually abused as a child, and is now dealing with misplaced ideologies, controversial emotions, and actions she knows she now has to take. As I listen to the song, a solemn feeling goes through my mind, and questions wash over my aching brain. The first, and almost cliché, inquiry is “Why would this happen?” Questions lead to more questions. “Does this happen because the victims need to better themselves?” “Why does someone's choice create negative consequences for so many people?”
In the song the woman says that she's working towards “forgiveness for a man who was stronger.” In the physical aspect, I'm sure this man was much stronger than she was as a “little girl”, but the fact that she's alive, thinking, and trying to sort out questions, has me wondering “Who is stronger, the perpetrator who forces physically, or the victim who endures emotionally?” “What is strength?”, I begin to ask myself, and “Do I have strength?” “Is there a difference between being strong and having strength?”
One of the focuses of the song is that the woman strongly believes she is “damaged”, and can be of no help to others now because she's so hung up on being stuck where she is. I strongly believe there is immense value in the knowledge we can acquire from our experiences. This leads me to ask “When is a person sincerely damaged? Is there anything we can do to heal them, if they are damaged?” When we know we can not go back and change the initial event, does the event itself aide in “damaging” us? Is it the experience itself that damages people, or is it having to live with the consequences of the action that “damages” us? If it's the nightmares, or the flashbacks, or the rampant, intrusive emotions that eventually 'kill' a person's will to try, what can be done to prevent those? Can they be prevented? Should we prevent them, or should we allow a learning experience to take place?
In part of the chorus, she says “I'm scared, and I'm alone. I'm ashamed, and I need for you to know I didn't say all the things that I wanted to say, and you can't take back what you've taken away.” Many times, I've felt like my emotions would never change from where they were at that moment. It can be very scary to think that you will always feel alone, enough so, that you eventually begin to be convinced that you are alone. I wonder who could open up, and connect with this woman so she feels less alone. If we were to get all the junk out of the closet, stereotypes could dissipate. We might feel more accepted and normal. We all have our backpack full of 'stuff'. Should we show it to the world? How could that change attitudes concerning abuse victims?
A verse near the beginning of the song, states that “healing comes so painfully and it chills to the bone.” She goes on to ask “Won't anyone get close to me? I'm damaged, as I'm sure you know.” How patient do we need to be with healing to see that, though painful, it puts us in a more complete state? Are there times where we need to say 'hurry up', or should we let ourselves take it one step at a time, the entire time? Is there a social insecurity towards insecurity, particularly abuse? Why is it that, when people discover someone's past, they wonder if they want to be a part of their future? Are there valid reasons we ought to be 'afraid' of making contact with people like this, or are those reasons stereotypical, and harsh? Is it the events or the people that should be generalized?
In the end of the song, the narrator is adamant about not 'looking back' but still 'going on'. I wonder if it's possible to 'go on' sufficiently without 'looking back', and learning. Is looking back more destructive or helpful? Does the future need the past? How can we change the future by observing the past? Can we change our observations of the past, as we use our current observations to change the present? She sings that 'true love is a fairy tale', and yet sings 'I'm damaged; how would I know?' If she could look at true love differently than what she was taught, could it have a difference on her future as a wife, as a mother, as a woman, as a human being?
She's obviously second guessing herself. I wonder how constructive that is for her. Do our second-guesses of our own decisions affect those around us? When we're parents, if our children see us second-guessing ourselves, they could see that it's a natural thing to do. The earlier they begin to second-guess themselves, the worse. Do our second-guesses encourage and spur others' second guesses?
From the song, I get the impression that the woman would almost like to feel numb to the situation. She would like to have it over with. Do feelings buried alive, die? If so, are there only certain personality types who can do that, or is that option open to everyone? If feelings are buried, did they ever truly exist? Is it the same with trespassing-events? If someone is not affected by the heinous abuse suffered as a child, and yet another is psychotic, purely from mild abuse as a child, should the first offender be punished less than the second because the consequences weren't as horrific? Do we judge in America by the choice or the consequence? Concerning abuse, are the courts keeping up with justice? Is justice a forgotten dream?
Sexual abuse and rape are increasingly rampant. 'Though never spoken of, rarely pointed out, and only occasionally questioned, this is a problem that affects us all. The shame and fear may be evident, but what can we do to aid those who feel afraid and shameful?