#ossify

Babies are born without knee caps. The cartilage begins to ossify and form the knee cap between 2 and 6 years of age. – WTF Fun Facts

Ossify

transitive verb.*

Latin.

1) to change (a material, such as cartilage) into bone.

2) to make rigidly conventional and opposed to change.

Merriam Webster.

Picture this: You remember an event one way, but they insist it happened differently. They won’t just argue; they’ll repeat their version until it feels like chiseling stone. Over time, you start to believe it. You think, “Maybe I did remember it wrong,” even though deep down, you know the truth. That’s the power of ossification in their hands—making their lies so firm that you accept them as fact.

When a narcissist says, “You’re too sensitive,” after you confront them about their behavior, they’re not just dismissing your feelings; they’re fossilizing their belief that you’re the problem. They’ll repeat it enough that it becomes ingrained in your mind. You begin to question your reactions instead of their toxic behavior.

Look for the signs: if someone insists on their version of reality, no matter the evidence, or if you find yourself constantly questioning your own memory and feelings, you might be dealing with a narcissist. They twist the narrative, making you feel like you’re walking on eggshells, afraid to challenge their set-in-stone version of the world.

But beware, for the mind can harden, like stone. Ossify, it does, when clinging to old ways. The spark of curiosity dims, and the world turns dull.

Yet, there is a remedy, simple and profound. The scientific method, a beacon of light. It keeps us moving, questioning, never still. It saves us from the trap of certainty.

For in the dance of inquiry, we stay alive. We break the crust of old thoughts, and see anew. Embrace it, and let your mind breathe.