Good Damage

I was once given a tour of a new exhibition by the curator. Among hundreds of objects was a large item, very damaged. It was behind all the others, nearly out of sight. I was told it was too damaged to be up front. 

When I learned what it was, it was the damage — who damaged it, and why — that made it the most interesting object there for me.

We hate damage. We’re trained to see it, repair it, remove it.

But there isn’t only one kind. There are two: good damage and bad damage. (Just like good lost and bad lost.)

Bad damage we should fix:

• Scuffed up hallway corners. 

• Monitors delivered cracked.

• Hands-on displays that keep breaking.

But good damage we should never repair:

• A WWII soldier’s helmet with a bullet hole, next to a picture of that soldier, moments before he rushed the beach.

• A 1970’s government-issued green filing cabinet, padlocked, with massive dents. like from a sledgehammer.

• A singed teddy bear, covered in cement dust.

Here’s the thing:
There are two kinds of damage. Bad damage is bad.

But good damage could be the reason we’re all here.

Warmly,
Jonathan