Wondering . . .

I wonder sometimes: what would we be like if our emotional wounds showed on the outside? What if, when we hurt, we bled? What if, when you were embarrassed, a hot rash of humiliation spread across your skin? What if, when I hurled harsh words at you, a bruise appeared on your cheek? What if every racial epithet left a scar? What if lonely people walked with a limp? Would we be kinder? Would we be braver?