I think you should know that I've been damaged.

After rewatching the Glee episode which featured a mash-up of Unpretty and Pretty, I got on Youtube and listened to just four TLC songs all afternoon. Of course, Unpretty, Waterfalls and the more recent hits Dear Lie and Damaged. God, I miss the music of the early 2000s.

I remember being hooked on the song Damaged for a while back then. Maybe simply because of the melody or maybe because it was a glimpse of my melancholic tendencies. Nevertheless, I watched the video again and savored the seemingly swan song of a damsel with a disclaimer of being damaged. The following line probably serves as the song's gist:

I’ve fallen in love, there’s one disadvantage, I think you should know that I’ve been damaged.

In terms of relationships, aren’t we all damaged to varying degrees in the first place?

Part of the intricacies of being human is adapting to the ups and downs of our relationships. Though you may never have failed in establishing and maintaining romantic relationships, I am pretty sure that at some point in time, somebody, an acquaintance, a friend, even a relative, has dealt some kind of damage in your life. Whether it be physical separation or emotional distance, I am almost sure that all of us have encountered rough relationship patches sometime before.

All of us then are damaged in some way. We only differ in terms of how we coped with it and how we move forward from it. I’m telling you that owning and channeling your inner damaged persona doesn’t really help you one bit.

In my opinion, a disclaimer of being damaged is actually quite unnecessary and indulgent. Unnecessary because we will always be damaged. Indulgent because we wallow in the wounds of our past instead of moving forward and embracing the individuals who embrace us.

Being damaged is not a disadvantage since we all are somehow damaged. The only disadvantage then is when we think that being damaged, very well a part of being human, diminishes our capacity to give and receive love. When such mindset overcomes us, only then can one claim the disclaimer that s/he will be difficult to manage because s/he might have been already damaged beyond repair.