"
Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says
differently is
selling something." --
Westley, from
The Princess Bride---
There are many different
types of pain and some people can
bear a lot more of each kind than others.
Physical Pain: Physical pain is fairly obvious. Although it itself can take several forms of cutting, burning, freezing, throbbing, aching, or even just itching and discomfort. Many people believe physical pain to be something which can be "cured" and gotten rid of. The amount of pain-killing (reality-dulling?) medicines we have nowadays is testament to that.
Emotional Pain: This can be caused by a bad event (a breakup, loss of a job, a family member), or empathy (from your friend's pain). Emotional pain seems (for me at least) not to go away as quickly as physical pain. I think a lot of people either ignore it, or hope it goes away, instead of actively dealing with the source of their problems and making peace with whatever ails them. However, our modern society also tries to "cure" emotional pain with drugs like Prozac or Zoloft.
Spiritual Pain: Although many people might not call this a kind of "pain", I'll put it here anyway. It would probably better be described as "spiritual anxiety". It could be that a person is having a spiritual crisis and wants to believe something but doesn't know what. It could also be spiritual guilt at having done something wrong, and depending on your religion, fear of eternal pain. No medicines for this yet, but when the "Jesus Pill" (*shudder*), comes out, you saw it here first.
Many people also use
self-inflicted pain (in what many deem is a bad way) as a cure for other pain. I went through a pretty bad period of
depression. There were times when I had so much
emotional pain that I almost writhed in a fury. I needed some
touch with reality. For a while, I would take my
pocketknife and cut myself...nothing
big...just enough to make me
FEEL something...anything, and give me a touch back down to reality and some control over my situation. I no longer do that, and don't have any
scars to show, and I guess I'm
lucky for that. (I've actually never told anybody that before.) For some people,
physical pain is a way to control their lives. Although this is certainly not the long term
healthiest solution, in the
short term this pain provides a lot of
relief.
Despite all of its
negative connotations, it can also be very
addicting.
Long distance runners can get a "
runner's high" from the
lactic acid buildup in their
muscles. Lastly there are also masochists, who for them, pain is
pleasure. Perhaps they can just be lumped in with the
long distance runners
*grin*.
Although most people in
our day and age go to great lengths to avoid pain (and pursue
pleasure), pain can be a
positive and
transforming
experience. I had my lip
pierced about five weeks ago. It was certainly not my first
piercing and it certainly hurt a bit. Yet, for me, it was an
ecstatic and
transforming ritual.
Piercing is not just a trend for me. It wasn't at all for
the shock value. I would imagine that other people yearn for this sort of transforming
ritual. This kind of experience (of which pain is part but not all of) is the reason that many people get
pierced or
tattooed and immediately start wanting more. I also think that choice of that pain has a lot to do with tolerance regardless of the amount. If I get a piercing, it was my choice, and I don't mind the pain. If I get a small
cold, or
burn myself when lighting
incense accidently, it's a lot harder for me to deal with and tolerate.