PAIN (by Nick Bentley)
They say that pain is the world's greatest teacher. And with that, I must agree. Too many times in my life have I put myself, both purposely and accidently, in pain's line of fire. And the results are never pretty.
There's always a lesson to be learned when it comes to pain. How one incorporates the result of pain in their life solely depends on that particular person's nature. Most people have to learn the hard way. For some, it takes just one time. For others, they may go many, many times before they finally surrender. And then, there are those that just aren't going to get it.
Pain comes in many different shapes, sizes, styles, attributes, and elements. Generally, those genres spawn from two foundations: mental and physical.
Perception of pain usually depict how those life lessons are absorbed. For example, some may experience pain, whether mental or physical, and dwell on the fact that they are in pain without the necessary drive to treat it. Others may experience pain and immediately search for tactical avenues on how to either cure it or stop it. Then there are those that rarely realize they're in pain until the damage has taken its toll. Each individual's reaction to painful circumstances defines their integrity as physical beings, which in turn gages the outcome of current situation.
Pain is as much a natural part of life as eating, drinking, breathing, and sleeping. You can't escape it. In a small handful of cases, it may not be wise to avoid it. As old and as annoying it is to hear it, the proverb holds true: "If it doesn't kill you, it will make you stronger." And there's a reason for that. As human beings, we are designed to either resist and shy away from pain, or withstand and endure it.
Guy meets girl.
Guy talks to girl.
Guy and girl become friends.
Guy and girl spend alot of time together.
Guy asks girl out.
Girl accepts.
Guy and girl are now committed.
Over time, guy and girl argue.
Guy and girl break up.
Guy is inconsoleable.
Eventually, guy meets new girl.
Guy talks to new girl.
Guy and new girl become friends.
Guy and new girl spend alot of time together.
Guy asks new girl out.
New girl accepts.
Guy and new girl are now committed.
New girl finds out her family is preparing to move to another state.
Guy and new girl break up.
Guy is hurt.
Granted, the example is pretty bland, but it does show that the second separation was not as effective as the first one because of the endurance and experience he acquired from the initial heartbreak. As raw as it is to say, this kind of pain is healthy. On average, the two biggest fears of the human animal are that of rejection and death, both of which are gauranteed and unavoidable. But of course, only one has the potential to make you stronger.
I wish I knew what the attraction is between small children and electrical sockets. I know curiosity gripped me as a child, and I've watched countless other children fascinated by the same thing. Maybe it's the concept of a stationary, inanimate object providing life and animation to other inanimate objects. I'm not entirely sure but whatever the reason, children are to sockets as moths are to flames. If a child sticks something into an electrical socket, they will experience pain. Those that have experienced the pain in the past and have survived it will tell the child not to stick anything into the socket. That kind of pain is not healthy. The physical and mental damage that kind of pain can cause is expenintial to the point of fatality. But if the child does not stick an object into the electrical socket, they will be deprived of a serious lifelong lesson. In this event it is safer for the individual to learn this lesson vicariously through the wisdom of others rather than experience the pain firsthand, even to the expense of never fully understanding the reasons behind it.
All these scenerios lead to the conclusion that there is some form of knowledge to be collected through pain between mental and physical foundations. Due to the abundance of it's distribution in our everyday lives, we deal with the pain to the best of our abilities, whether it helps or hinders our growth as individuals.
Expect it. Interpret it. Define it. Understand it. And, if possible, resolve it.
"If it doesn't kill you, it will make you stronger."
That is why pain is the world's greatest teacher.
