The Joy of Pain

By Shae Hadden | Bio


It
might be said that existence isn’t possible without both pleasant and
unpleasant experiences—without pain and pleasure. They are like a
guidance system, helping us navigate through life and orienting us away
from illness and danger and death.

We have pleasant, positive
emotional states like love, joy, sympathy, affection, self-confidence,
happiness. And we have unpleasant emotions like boredom, loneliness,
jealousy, fear and sadness.

I’ve been relating to the physical
pain I’m experiencing since my car accident as a source of learning.
I’m actually living ‘in joy’ with it —you might say ‘enjoying’ the fact
of being alive and being in pain. Many people I share this with seem
surprised, as if it is not possible to observe something beautiful,
powerful and strong in being vulnerable, weak and physically less than
‘perfectly healthy’. Yet, that is what I am experiencing.

I am choosing to sacrifice my attachment to suffering to be ‘in joy’.

What could be easier to sacrifice?