Life is painful in many ways. Some of this pain is physical, such as when you injure yourself or become ill. Some of this pain is mental, such as when you think negatively about yourself or feel ashamed or guilty of some behavior. Some of this pain is emotional, such as when a loved one is hurt, or you are attacked by someone you care for.
Of course, these sources of pain are not independent of one another. If you’re hurt emotionally, you can feel physically ill, and certainly think unpleasant thoughts; if you’re hurt physically, you will also feel bad, and your plans for the day or even the rest of your life can take a turn for the worse.
However, when we are hurt, we often fail to differentiate the different sources; and, this can be problematic because it is going to be difficult to fix an emotional problem if it is really a pattern of thinking that is hurting you. Now, the question is: What are the sources of your pain physically, emotionally, and mentally, and what steps can you take to better identify them and overcome them?
Life is only painful if a person decides that it is. Emotions no longer have to control you. Awareness of how you think and feel is a step toward regaining new levels of control over your life. This is all part of the process of nurturing self-mastery.
Aloha Brian and Katy! Great to see you both here again and look forward to reading more, this is a wonderful site you created. Mahalo!
A human being can also evolve to decide that pain odes not exist. This kind of mental discipline has particualr implications that become apparent as your mindset and perspective shift.
Thank you Angela & Liara! I look forward to more interesting conversation!
I have always been intrigued by the use of the word ‘evolve’ in this manner. Biological evolution is driven by natural selection and gene propagation, yet personal ‘evolution’ seems to be of a wholly different mechanism. ….or perhaps we ultimately seek survival via the fittest psychological mindset? ….and the less productive ones are discarded like so much unsuccessful genetic material?
Just a thought…
Hi all! REBT (Rational Emotional Behavior Therapy) would seem to fall under what you were talking about, Liara. One chooses to engage in a certain behavior rather than being forced to be angry, upset, sad, etc. Some would argue that even if you can learn to live without any pain, isn’t some pain valuable? I think empathy could be considered a form of pain that is valuable (you see starving children and feel saddened and decide to help them) but if you choose not to feel pain, you would see starving children and decide that they should feed themselves and then ignore them. Would a balanced approach not be more desirable for emoting?