Wednesday, October 7, 2009

No pain no gain


All of us are programmed to avoid pain. We know it hurts. Having experienced pain once, we do everything possible to keep it away. We react spontaneously and instantaneously at the first hint of pain - physical or mental pain. But pain is not always so bad. Though it hurts, it also has its uses.

People who work out and are into sports enjoy pain. They feel satisfied with their training and hard work only when they feel the pain. It indicates to them that there is an impact and a resistance being formed in the body which makes them stronger and fitter. Pain helps them identify which muscle parts to work on and which to give rest.

Pain at the mental level also has its positive benefits. It makes us mentally prepared and strong to handle similar situations in the future. It helps the mind to reflect on things. It is only when we experience mental anguish that we realise that there is more to life than mere enjoyment and pleasure. We ponder on our purpose and become more realistic when we experience pain.

A life without pain is boring and pointless. With such a life we become complacent and start taking things for granted. It might even make some of us arrogant and rude. Most importantly, without pain we might even forget God and spend our time in useless pursuits which do nothing to help us evolve into better beings.

So, welcome pain. Treat it as a necessary evil which has come to do some course correction for you. Look at it positively and enjoy the experience that pain delivers. When your mind is thus tuned to accept pain, it loses its sting. Who knows, you may even look forward to the experience...

8 comments:

anupama said...

Dear Vish,
For a change let me be the first one to comment on this post.hope u don't mind.don't worry,i've stepped in with my right foot first.:)
as life is a a bed of roses n thorns,
as the sun rises after the sun set,
as a smile blooms after shedding tears,
as there is a hill for a valley,
as there is a wonderful blogger like vish,
who really works on great value based posts,
let us accept our pains n pleasures,
only then life gets balanced,i must say.
and u know what,when i suffer the real pain,words overflow........
''Let us be grateful to people who make us happy;they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.''
and pains make us humble and take us closer to GOD.
have a wonderful evening.....
sasneham,
anu

Anya said...

Hi Vish
I have now muscle pain :(
Yesterday I had a workout from my favorite sports ....
My muscles are getting older ;)
We all have some days we have pain
physically or mentally.
My mother would say it is part of life ;)
Have a lovely evening
Anya :)

Niru said...

You have written the truth.

//without pain we might even forget God//
Yeah...But me If I am happy only I think about God more and more & keep on thank him and share my happiness with him.
If I am sad I always hesitate to go to Temple & pray God :).

Nice post.Thank You.

Faith AND Patience said...

Agreeing to your views - some good thoughts from Saint Kabir - "Sukh Upar Pathhar pado - Ram Hriday se Jay, Bali Hari vo Dukh ki Har pal Ram Bhajay" & Secondly in Mahabharat it is stated that when Pandava's won the battle and Dhritrashtra, Gandhari & Kunti wants to go for Pilgrimage - Krishna asks Kunti for blessings and she asks for Pain...Because she was aware that till the pain was there, Krishna was with them. Good day.

Manivannan Sadasivam said...

Nilesh Kanaiyalal Joshi has just echoed my thoughts Vish. I thght of the same story in Mahabharata. BTW I am interested to know what is the meaning of the great Saint Poet Kabir's song....

"Sukh Upar Pathhar pado - Ram Hriday se Jay, Bali Hari vo Dukh ki Har pal Ram Bhajay"

Can u plz translate for me?

Thanks a lot for this very thoughtful post Vish.

Cheers!

Pramoda Meduri said...

hi vish,

how could i have missed this post three days back..?? no clue..:(..any way...

yeah agreed..pain is the one thing that benifits every one in a way or other..lets welcome it..i'm open to take it always...:)
Good post ..

The Literary Jewels said...

Of course pain is a necessary evil. I agree when you say that life without pain would be boring and pointless.
In the last stanza when I read the line: "Look at it positively and enjoy the experience that pain delivers", what came to my mind was that it is easier said than done. But that's a subjective viewpoint...your post was really good...

Sonal Raisinghani said...

I agree with you Sir, that Pain at mental level makes us strong and mentally prepared to handle similar situations in future...
But looking at it positively and enjoying the experience it gives is extremely difficult to learn.

I think I have just started learning it.. But still got miles to go before I train my mind on this..
A wonderful Post Sir !!!