Murch (who edited Apocalypse Now, The Conversation, and other great films) concedes that editing—specifically, cutting—is a logistical necessity in filmmaking. But he maintains that it serves a purpose beyond that:

…cutting is more than just the convenient means by which discontinuity is rendered continuous. It is in and for itself—by the very force of its paradoxical suddenness—a positive influence in the creation of a film. We would want to cut even if discontinuity were not of such great practical value.

Murch, In the Blink of an Eye, page 9

By the very force of its paradoxical suddenness. Think of a “cut” not as a separation or injury but as a productive juxtaposition.