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This seems to be a topic of concern, one that many of us have experienced often lately in one form or another. My analysis may seem like cold comfort, to be sure, but I've wanted to write about it after my extensive meditation whilst recovering from surgery over the past week.
Aristotle divided all actions as those creating pleasure and those creating pain - it was a simplistic method of attempting to explain human interaction, from which he went into his lengthy discussions on virtue, and how we must train ourselves to make just actions pleasurable actions. His is a very interesting and useful theory to be sure, if adapted to more modern theories, but it simplifies pain into a purely negative thing, which I must take issue with.
Pain is not purely negative. In fact, pain is quite useful. Pain brings with it many things, and if one pays attention to all of them, the discomfort becomes quite small and insignificant. Pain brings recognition: something often sorely lacking in our lives, and something supremely important to true survival, advancement, well-being, and ethical action.
Pain brings one back into their own body, and forces one to recognize it. You are forcefully made aware of every slight movement, every creak, and muscle, and obviously every aspect of the portion of your body in pain. In a sense, pain makes one aware of the self. We often lose touch with our own bodies, our own special places and if one loses touch with one's own special place, they have little chance of identifying with any other place. Thusly, a crisis of identity occurs. Pain can bring back identity, or at least bring back recognition of it or the distance from it.
Pain brings about very clear recognition. We recognize our own suffering very clearly, and that can be a step towards recognition of many other things: When we recognize out own pain, we may recognize the pain of others who may be in the same predicament. This recognition is essential for true human achievement and advancement: when one recognizes another, that is a step towards true empathy. Being sympathetic is not, in many cases, true recognition of someone's pain. Many people of the world do not ask for sympathy: they simply want to be recognized for who they are, or what they've done. They want someone to understand their pain.
Pain is very real, and mostly an unavoidable part of life. I, for one, am glad for it. Unfortunately I can speak no further on the subject due to lack of time, but I hope it's been interesting.
Aristotle divided all actions as those creating pleasure and those creating pain - it was a simplistic method of attempting to explain human interaction, from which he went into his lengthy discussions on virtue, and how we must train ourselves to make just actions pleasurable actions. His is a very interesting and useful theory to be sure, if adapted to more modern theories, but it simplifies pain into a purely negative thing, which I must take issue with.
Pain is not purely negative. In fact, pain is quite useful. Pain brings with it many things, and if one pays attention to all of them, the discomfort becomes quite small and insignificant. Pain brings recognition: something often sorely lacking in our lives, and something supremely important to true survival, advancement, well-being, and ethical action.
Pain brings one back into their own body, and forces one to recognize it. You are forcefully made aware of every slight movement, every creak, and muscle, and obviously every aspect of the portion of your body in pain. In a sense, pain makes one aware of the self. We often lose touch with our own bodies, our own special places and if one loses touch with one's own special place, they have little chance of identifying with any other place. Thusly, a crisis of identity occurs. Pain can bring back identity, or at least bring back recognition of it or the distance from it.
Pain brings about very clear recognition. We recognize our own suffering very clearly, and that can be a step towards recognition of many other things: When we recognize out own pain, we may recognize the pain of others who may be in the same predicament. This recognition is essential for true human achievement and advancement: when one recognizes another, that is a step towards true empathy. Being sympathetic is not, in many cases, true recognition of someone's pain. Many people of the world do not ask for sympathy: they simply want to be recognized for who they are, or what they've done. They want someone to understand their pain.
Pain is very real, and mostly an unavoidable part of life. I, for one, am glad for it. Unfortunately I can speak no further on the subject due to lack of time, but I hope it's been interesting.
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