asakiyume | (Reply)

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The part about the patients staying with the bone setter until their injuries heal reminds me of descriptions of American hospitals in the old days, where patients would similarly stay until they were well. Nowadays the trend seems to be toward shoving people out of the hospital as soon as possible, on the assumption (less true than ever!) that of course everyone has someone at home who can look after them while, say, their broken leg finishes healing.

Of course there are downsides to long hospital stays, too... as you say, any system is imperfect. But it sounds like the Tetun way promotes a sense of connection, and the modern American way can be really atomized - which of course just reflects the atomization of American society more generally. Look at the people who just somehow can't seem to grasp that refusing to wear a mask or get vaccinated is not merely an individual choice, but a decision that will have possibly-deadly consequences for people all around them.