What is the point of dragging up all of this crap? I'm beginning to think it should stay buried, where it belongs

It's like having a severely infected wound.

You can put salve on it and throw a band-aid on it and hope for the best, but chances are the infection will fester and really make you sick.

But if you take antibiotics to clear it up, the infection will ooze all the yucky stuff out of you until it's gone.

Only then can the wound begin to heal.