To Heal, Something Else Must Break
How an ancient African ritual reveals the psychology of human empathy.
The African way of mending broken bones
Has been to take a fowl, (chicken mostly)
Snap its bones, in the same place that the patient’s bone was broken (don’t ask me how they know where to break).
The patient and chicken are meant to heal together.
As the bird heals, man heals.
It is easy to look at this practice and see ancient magic or primitive ritual.
But look closer. It is a masterclass in human psychology, and the magic of empathy.
When we are in pain, our universe shrinks to the size of our own suffering. We turn inward. We isolate.
Well, when we learn to care for those other than ourselves,
Not only do we start to heal, but we start to feel a feeling of relation.
We learn to give to another even while in pain,
And it alleviates our pain.
A chicken’s leg is broken to mend yours,
And you’re asked to watch the bird as it heals.
You too would heal.
Physically, it would seem, but a deeper aspect comes into play.
As you care for the bird, you start to look past yourself
And care more for it, even in your pain.
You learn to be patient and tender with something else.
You start to feel its pain and relate to it.
You get to realize that you are one as you feel,
So also another thing feels.
The bird also warms to you, and a bond is created.
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You get to feel for another that’s different from you.
Healing both ways, you heal physically as well as spiritually.
A Note from the Author:
When I was searching for a cover photo for this article and typed in "chicken," I was amazed at the sheer volume of images that popped up. It made me laugh and reflect on creativity—it really is a funny thing; you can find inspiration literally anywhere.
This piece actually stems from a childhood memory. Growing up, I’d occasionally hear relatives tell stories about going through this exact bone-setting practice. Back then, I thought it was barbaric. I kept asking myself, how does hurting a bird change anything for a human? The one question I never got an answer to was how the bone-setters knew precisely where to break the chicken’s leg—which is why I wrote it into the piece the way I did.
I rediscovered this text while flipping through a four-year-old journal. Every now and then, I go back through old notes and find snippets of thoughts I’d completely forgotten I ever wrote. This was one of them.
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