I noticed last week, to my great delight, that my favorite online comic had published their first comic in over five years. (If you like comics, web comics, online art, literature, philosophy and funniness, I highly recommend it.) The title stands out: A Lesson Is Learned But The Damage Is Irreversible. I was thinking about lessons learned in the face of our pervasive cultural anxiety, which in many case, is compounded by personal anxieties. Many times it becomes evident after a failure or fiasco what must be done to have a better outcome. For me, it is a moment that should propel me forward, but an illusion (which is sometimes the twin sibling of memory) overtakes me: I have the answer! It stands to reason if I have the answer, there is no reason to be unwhole; there is no reason to be damaged. As if wisdom were a repair kit! But here is the wrench in the system: what is done is done. A wrench is a useful tool, but instead of utilizing it, my head bangs against the wall of the illusion. The lesson learned is learned again, and the cycle of damage, like a bent wheel, is spun again. The way forward is to respect my damage; it is to forget the lesson by living it. (Of course, photos of bugs and reading funny, erudite web comics helps too.)