Strugglin' Through Pain

pain (pān)

noun: pain; plural noun: pains

1.

physical suffering or discomfort caused by illness or injury.

Mornin'

Inescapable, pain serves many purposes in our lives. The one's that come to mind this morning are pain as a motivator and pain as a warning sign. I believe emotional and spiritual pain are the biggest motivators in a human being's life. They serve to force individuals to act so as to either improve or worsen their spiritual or emotional condition. I find it interesting that we always have a choice in this matter. We certainly do not have any control over what other people do but we do have control how we react to those folks. What we do with a stimulus is crucial to a life of peace and happiness. It is truly up to us.

Now, regarding physical pain; this is something that asks us to stop and reconsider what we are doing as well. It can be a great motivator (i.e. when we work out and get sore, we know our muscles are on their way to increasing in size so this propels us into working out more) or a life saving feeling. When we are injured, our body sends a signal to our brain that we are distressed and in pain. The brain immediately returns the sensation of pain to the sight of the injury. This causes us to stop what we are doing in order to stop additional pain or to preserve life. It also allows us to step back and reassess what we are faced with. Is what we are engaged in really helping me or is it harming me each time I participate?

This discussion could go on ad nausea  so I jotted down a few ideas I had off the top of my head. Feel free to comment on this entry so I can learn more about this topic. One important thing concerning pain is that oftentimes the secret to as pain free a life as possible is simply paying attention in everything we do. Whether in a relationship or at work, much pain can be avoided by paying particular attention to the details in our lives. Never take anything or any person for granted. Just when you let your guard of vigilance down, more pain than is necessary will oftentimes enter your life. So, we cannot escape pain in our lives but can mitigate its effects.

Peace