The Nature of Pain - 1

What is pain ? Is it a release, a protective mechanism, a natural response of the body to danger, a psychosomatic projection, all of these or something else altogether? Can we live without pain, or is it an integral part of our existence? Shall we suppress pain at all times?

The English word derives from Latin poena - meaning punishment pain, or Ancient Greek poine - a word related to penalty. Do we take that pain is literally punishment, or is it penalty in philosophical understanding of the term, like the re-payment for wrong action, whatever that action was. If we accept that view, than painful experiences are self-generational and we all are active participants to the pain we collectively produce even if being unaware of its consequences. Needless to say that the universal computation makes sure to distinguish between the types and forms before making us the receivers of physical or mental experience.

There is neurobiological reasons for the existence of pain which are there to make sure we distinguish our experiences between those that give us pleasure and that of its opposite. Pain marks the pathways of an illness and often reveals the way for treatment. The renowned physician Avicena used to infect himself with terrible diseases in order to undergo the symptoms which allowed him to experience pain first hand and understand the nature of the illness in all its complexity. Pain of all kind and physical pain in particular is a natural response of the body towards conditions where pain acts as a signal of a complex safety net.

Throughout history the understanding of pain changed inadvertently reflecting the existential attitudes towards the experience. Many cultures considered pain to be an important factor necessary for personal growth and maturity of a soul. In some the initiation contained exposure to pain and were seen as the right of passage, the coming of age. It seems with advance of science coupled with development of humanistic ideas, we do our utmost to suppress the pain. Today 'painkilling' is an industry in its own right and part of the overall orientation of our culture with the emphasis on pleasure at all costs. After all who in their right mind would prefer pain to its opposite. As living creatures we all share that aspect, the unconscious desire to prolong pleasure and keep away from pain.

Without drawing any conclusions, what if pain is an inseparable response of our localized consciousness to the environment we live in ? We know that suppressed desire for pleasure erupts as an obsession often in an ugly way. Suppressing pain without re-evaluating its cause is as detrimental to our overall health in a long term as indulging in pleasure without fully understanding the bounding nature of that experience.

(end of part 1)