Lesson number 9.

For the times of hardship...

For the times in life when you think suffering can be unbearable, for the times when you wonder why is there such anguish in the world, I want you to remember that whether you believe in God or not…pain has a purpose. And as exquisitely demented as this may sound, it’s a good thing. Pain and suffering are gifts. Because feelings however bad they are, are just those: feelings, intense sensations, reactions, outlooks or perceptions, which we as living things are lucky to feel. The truth is pain is a part of life. When at times the hurting can feel unbearable, I think of worlds where our feelings might be suppressed. Worlds like those written in science fiction novels where everyone is doomed to “sameness” and knowledge is considered a treacherous gift. A world, for instance, where we feel the need to drug our children to prevent feelings of love and sexuality, or “Stirrings”, as they are called in “The Giver”. A world where we resort to brainwashing each other to drug up with “Soma” to stimulate pleasure without emotion, promoting a false copasetic lifestyle, like in Huxley’s “Brave New World”. Worlds like these don’t have the luxury of any emotion, let alone pain. The truth is, pain, however painful, is a freedom. It is an sensation that allows us to be liberated and remain individuals. Without pain we begin to become robotic and lose all hopes at individuality. Pain is a tool and if used in the right way it can better us if we are willing to learn from it and appreciate its beauty.