Pain: a feeling that everyone can relate to. Wherever you are, pain can show up at any time. One could even say that it is a necessary aspect of life. Many great philosophers have pined that life would be nothing without pain. However, it can be pretty tricky for an individual to come to terms with this fact.
It is pretty obvious that everyone wants to be happy all the time. After all, who would willingly subject themselves through misery and sadness? But, due to this, all people seem to do is chase happiness. They invest in self-help books, watch countless videos, consult their loved ones – seek answers to one question a single question: How do I become happy? And, it is not a bad thing, either. Being content and happy has many benefits. But, one thing that people do not know is that the constant pursuit of happiness can lead to misery. So, what should one do? Live a hopeless life? Well, you could try embracing pain for once.
Our mental health specialists at health2delivery will provide insight on why pain is the best teacher.
The Common Misconception Regarding Happiness
Many assume that temporary happiness is the key to a good life. Temporary happiness refers to feeling content for a fleeting moment. For instance, when you eat your favorite meal, when you meet your friends after a long time or when you attend concerts of your most famous musicians. While such activities or activities similar to this might make you ecstatic, it does not mean you are experiencing true happiness. As a matter of fact, living off these momentary highs might be getting in your way of living a happier life because the most common misconception about happiness is that the path to gaining it involves avoiding pain.
Do Not Be Afraid to Experience Pain
You must have heard the famous saying, “Pain is unavoidable while suffering is optional.” It is actually true. You see, happiness can not be described as the absence of pain. Instead, happiness can be described as living in harmony with the good and the bad.
5 Reasons Why Pain is the Best Teacher
As mentioned above, pain is indeed a necessary part of happiness. It can become man’s greatest teacher if one embraces it with welcoming arms. Following are the five reasons why pain is a vital part of every human being’s life:
1. Pain Allows You to Know Pleasure
If you get something without any hardships or struggle, you will be unable to appreciate it fully. Similarly, the sentimental value of happiness is incredibly underappreciated if you have access to it all the time. If someone were happy all the time, the feeling would not be classified as happiness. Sometimes, you need to experience all the feelings on the spectrum – especially the one at the opposite – to comprehend and appreciate the pleasure that comes with happiness.
2. Pain Teaches You How to Act
Pain acts as a teacher who exemplifies for us how to behave. Once you have performed an action that has led you to experience pain, you learn not to repeat that. Similar to authority figures in our lives, we understand the difference between right and wrong through pain. As a result, pain teaches us that there are consequences to our actions.
This is best illustrated with an example, a curious child, unaware of the fury of fire, decides to place his hand on a burning stove. Now, even if the child had been warned several times, he does not understand the gravity of the situation until the fire burns his hand. Due to this incident, the child learns not to stick his hand in the fire again. Here, pain taught him a valuable lesson.
3. Pain Makes You Relatable
It is easy to relate to others when you know they have or are going through something familiar to you. Pain provides empathy. With empathy comes social bonds — people who can relate to each other end up delivering an unmatched bond. For instance, people who experience suffering together as a group become each other’s support systems.
4. Pain Makes You Appreciate Yourself
When you have endured pain, you realize the importance of letting yourself breathe and relax. This provokes the need to practice self-care. You are bound to appreciate yourself with rewards when you know you have gone through immense pain.
5. Pain Makes You Present
Most of the time, people focus on the future or the past instead of being in the present. However, with pain, you learn to live in the moment and appreciate every single moment of life, whether it is full of pain or joy. Simply put, pain allows you to stay vigilant and know what is going on right now.
The Bottom Line
So, why is pain the best teacher? Because, in its essence, pain is information. When you begin to view pain in this light, it becomes a possibility to learn and grow. Realizing that even if life without pain was doable, it would not be desirable is maturing. It is the correct step to take to reach pure happiness.
Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post