On reading the title of this article, I am sure many
of you are thinking, “Pain is Pain. How can something be a good pain or bad
Pain?” Well, I think there is a difference. Let me explain how.
A Good pain is one that works
for our good and helps us grow, whereas the bad pain is what makes us suffer
and becomes a stumbling block for our growth. Good pain can come in the form of
determination, discipline, endurance, sacrifice, whereas Bad pain can come in
the form of illness, failure, deprivation, economic insecurity, or
helplessness.
It is a basic human
tendency to avoid pain and embrace pleasure. We like to indulge in various
pleasures of life, whereas we are averse to do things, which feel painful. Of
course, it is the little pleasures of life that make life enjoyable, and it is
not wrong to enjoy them. However, we also need to know that all pleasure has
its own limitations. Quite often, things that give us maximum pleasure have the
potential to give us most pain.
For example, people get
into habits such as drinking, smoking, excessive eating, womanizing,
pornography, social media and so on. This at some point of time, can become so
addictive, that it could make one lose focus on their goals, lack a sense of
achievement in any area of their life and live a life without purpose- all of
which can ruin one’s life. Excessive indulgence and later trying to withdraw
from these habits can lead to mental depression or loneliness. In the emotional
front, it can lead to troubled relationships or broken marriages too.
We have often heard this
maxim, “No pain, No gain.” So, what does
that pain mean? It denotes the good pain, that we endure, in order to enjoy the
fruits of our efforts. Good pain could be something like putting hours of
dedicated effort and hard work at your workplace to achieve a desired goal;
doing regular fitness activities for our body to feel healthy, living a
disciplined life, thereby enjoying a good credibility; sacrificing on a few
luxuries and indulgences, so that you have enough money for your future needs.
Mahatria, in one of
his discourses titled “Dinacharya”, talks about the liberating power of self-discipline.
We often tend to think, living a disciplined life is the opposite of enjoying a
life full of freedom. But if you think deeper, you will realise that discipline
is the true way to freedom. For example: One hour of exercise every day, gives
you 23 hours of health. In other words, one hour of good pain (exercise)
liberates a person from 23 hours of bad pain (illness).
We come across a lot of
achievers in sports, but this achievement doesn’t come easily. It is the result
of determination and commitment to put in many hours of practice, which makes
them shine. The world-famous boxer, Mohammed Ali was once asked, “How long do
you practice every day?’ and he replied, “As long as it hurts, that I can't do
it anymore.” This is the sort of attitude that achievers have. They are willing
to endure the pain, to achieve the goal they have set for themselves.
Avoiding the temptation, eating
junk food is a pain, but it gives us the benefit of a healthy body. Avoiding
the distractions of social media is pain, but it gives us the power to focus on
our goals. Avoiding the urge of impulsive buying, when tempted by attractive
deals or offers, feels like pain, but it helps us to save the money for that
dream holiday. There are many such examples we can think of. It ultimately boils
down to exercising self-discipline. Discipline is all about enduring these
pains, to live a better life. A good life of our imagination.
Remember, “It is easy to
die, but it is difficult to suffer.” Endure
the Good Pain, to live a life without the Bad Pain.
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