Yesterday I wrote about one aspect of pain -- it sucks! While that sentiment is true on one level, pain also has great value. Our lives would be mere shells if we had to live without it. In fact, I dare say that our lives would be unbearable if we could forgo pain altogether.
For one thing, pain conveys a message. It informs us that something is amiss. Sometimes pain tells us that something we're doing or not doing is causing a problem. If I hit my thumb with a hammer, the immense pain suggests that I not do it again, lest I cause even more damage!!
If a person suffers from pain in the lungs or the liver, it might suggest that smoking or drinking too much alcohol might not be in that body's best interests. So, pain is instructive.
This is one of the prime reasons I tend to forgo painkillers. My grandpa, a Doctor of Osteopathy, used to tell me to listen to my pain. If a person constantly tries to blot it out, you end up severely damaging the communication lines. You will miss out on the important messages your body is trying to share with you.
Of course, one can certainly err in the other direction too. Some people are masochists who revel in pain. But the pain itself can swamp your communication lines. With so many messages coming in, they all blur together and you end up missing each individual one.
So, I try to take the middle road. When the pain gets to the point it's all consuming, I take the painkillers. Short of that, I don't.
The other aspect of pain that has value is providing depth and color to our lives. Pain and hurt provide meaning to joy and happiness. It is only by intimately understanding the deep valleys that we can understand the amazing heights.
For me, the Christian depiction of heaven has always sounded like a very boring place! If everything is milk and honey, who would want to live forever? Existence without pain would be mundane.
In the end, I try to embrace my pain as much as I embrace anything else. While I certainly don't relish it and can't wait for it to subside, it reminds me that I'm alive.
A day will come when I feel pain no more.
For one thing, pain conveys a message. It informs us that something is amiss. Sometimes pain tells us that something we're doing or not doing is causing a problem. If I hit my thumb with a hammer, the immense pain suggests that I not do it again, lest I cause even more damage!!
If a person suffers from pain in the lungs or the liver, it might suggest that smoking or drinking too much alcohol might not be in that body's best interests. So, pain is instructive.
This is one of the prime reasons I tend to forgo painkillers. My grandpa, a Doctor of Osteopathy, used to tell me to listen to my pain. If a person constantly tries to blot it out, you end up severely damaging the communication lines. You will miss out on the important messages your body is trying to share with you.
Of course, one can certainly err in the other direction too. Some people are masochists who revel in pain. But the pain itself can swamp your communication lines. With so many messages coming in, they all blur together and you end up missing each individual one.
So, I try to take the middle road. When the pain gets to the point it's all consuming, I take the painkillers. Short of that, I don't.
The other aspect of pain that has value is providing depth and color to our lives. Pain and hurt provide meaning to joy and happiness. It is only by intimately understanding the deep valleys that we can understand the amazing heights.
For me, the Christian depiction of heaven has always sounded like a very boring place! If everything is milk and honey, who would want to live forever? Existence without pain would be mundane.
In the end, I try to embrace my pain as much as I embrace anything else. While I certainly don't relish it and can't wait for it to subside, it reminds me that I'm alive.
A day will come when I feel pain no more.
"It is only by intimately understanding the deep valleys that we can understand the amazing heights."
ReplyDeleteAnd the exact converse is true as well: It is only by intimately understanding the amazing heights that we can understand the deep valleys.
So true. So true. Such wise words from someone so young! :)
ReplyDeleteA couple of years ago, I pulled something in my lower back while rootering out a commode. I really didn't feel it until the next day, when I wasn't able to get out of bed. I took some pain killer that night, just to get some sleep, but when I finally rested up, I remembered that much is back pain is peripheral muscles tensing up to protect the injured area, so I began relaxation exercises I learned from tai chi practice. It was amazing. The pain never went away, but it was nice to be able to just sit or stand and not feel like wanting to twist like a pretzel. I suppose there's a metaphor in there for not letting one thing dominate your life.
ReplyDeleteGlad that you're feeling a little better.