Bite Your Tongue

A politically charged atmosphere

It’s Wednesday, November 27th, 2024, Thanksgiving Eve for Americans. With the political world in the U.S. being so polarized, there are bound to be families and friends gathering around the table with different viewpoints—let’s be frank, they are the Trumpers and Never Trumpers—who will undoubtedly end up in an upsetting argument. This will happen. As a Canadian and Never Trumper, I’m fortunate that this atmosphere of hate and division hasn’t really bled over into my world. We certainly have strong views one way or the other, but I think we, for the most part, respect each other’s differences of opinion—I think. Surely, there were disagreements at the table during our Canadian Thanksgiving, which took place a couple of weeks ago, but luckily, I was spared from such conversations. Even though my wife and I are separated, I was blessed to spend Thanksgiving with her and my in-laws, all of us just putting our differences aside and being kind toward each other. I’m proud of that.

More than you can chew

As many of you know, I have been suffering from degenerative arthritic diseases for over 30 years. During those years, my jaw joints, known as the temporomandibular joints, were damaged. The result was that I was left with a mouth that didn't close properly and teeth that didn't meet. Chewing food is hard. My jaw gets very tired after just a few minutes of chewing. But the biggest problem I have is that every once in a while, maybe twice a month, I accidentally bite my tongue as I chew. This is because my teeth do not come together properly, and there is an open gap at the front of my mouth where the tongue can slip through and be bitten down. Most of the time, the bite is bad enough that it cuts my tongue, and I bleed. This happened tonight as I was eating my salad for dinner. When it happens, I instantly freeze, grip the sides of the table, and just wait for the initial burst of pain to quell itself. Sometimes, I have to stop eating, while other times, I keep eating because I need to eat, and eating helps with the pain. But I also curse quietly, frustrated with all the comorbidities I have to live with. But this article isn’t about me. It’s about what matters when it comes down to it.

Shortly after this biting incident, I retired to the couch to watch television. And that’s when I saw them, children born with a cleft palette. It was an advertisement for an organization called “Operation Smile.” Have you ever seen this deformity? It is shocking and saddening. These kids are born this way, and in many poor countries, they don't have access to surgery to help correct the deformity. Seeing these images churns up a bunch of different emotions. First, you thank God that it’s not you. But God really has nothing to do with it. Right? I decided to check in with my buddy ChaptGPT to see what causes this malformation of the palate. Below is an excerpt of what it had to say (for the full version, search for “What causes children to be born with a cleft palate?” on ChatGPT.)

“A cleft palate occurs when the tissues that form the roof of the mouth do not fuse properly during fetal development. This can happen for a variety of reasons, often involving a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Cleft palate is a complex condition influenced by multiple factors. With advances in surgery and care, children born with a cleft palate can often lead healthy, fulfilling lives following treatment.”

According to Wikipedia, Operation Smile is “a nonprofit medical service organization founded in 1982. It has provided over 350,000 surgeries for children and young adults born with cleft lips, cleft palates, and other facial deformities in over 60 countries, at no cost to the recipients.”

The bigger picture

So, now that we have the basic facts about this horrible disfigurement, how does it make us feel? For me, it puts all of the world’s problems into perspective. I begin to question virtually everything. Having been through 6 major surgeries in my life to address my damaged joints and being partially disabled as a result of all this damage, I, like many others who have suffered, question our existence as a whole. The world is filled with really terrible people. People who are so evil and demonic that there are no words to describe them. People torture, kill, and maim other people all the time. You think about all the people that lie, cheat, and steal, all in the name of the almighty dollar—not the Lord almighty. He takes a back seat when it comes to getting ahead. I think about terrorists, warring nations, crooked politicians, greedy billionaires, and all their cronies and wonder why. Why can’t we all be compassionate, empathetic creatures rather than hateful, vindictive human beings? When you think about the injustices that have taken place for thousands of years and continue to occur in this world and juxtapose them against these poor, innocent children, it really makes you think. It makes you question life itself. Some of us are fortunate, while others are born into poverty and despair and will never climb their way out of it. There is beauty in this world, but there is also a lot of ugliness. 

I literally bit my tongue tonight, and it hurt. So, tomorrow night, when you are enjoying the bounty of food and wondering what you might want to say to your uncle, cousin, or neighbour about Trump and the future of the Union, it may be best to bite your tongue and talk about how grateful you are not to be one of those kids whose lives will never come close to being as wonderful as yours. And even if you’ve been dealt a bad hand in life, as I feel I have with my health, you always have to say to yourself, “It could be worse.” I’m not saying that your problems don’t matter. They do. Some of us have minor problems, while others have gigantic problems. Life isn’t fair. You are hurting; I get it.  People are hurting in so many ways right now that I think having a picture in our minds that says,” Hey, that could have been me,” is where our hearts and minds need to be.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Written by Patrick Franc - Your Friendly Neighbourhood Bionic man

Seeing as this post has to do with the human mouth and the human experience, I couldn’t help but think of the tongue and lips logo by the Rolling Stones. I leave you with the song “Gimme Shelter” from the “Let It Bleed” album.