"Life starts when the pain stops."
I am not usually taken-aback by ads... unfortunately, we become so used to being bombarded by them that we hardly notice their constant presence, but I was definitely surprised by this slogan.
Seriously? You think life starts when the pain stops? Ha, well good luck chasin' that rainbow, my friend. I can definitely tell you that life doesn't start when the pain stops--it's in those moments that you're really experiencing the realities of life.
There's some truth to it--the aspects of life that we'd like to enjoy are certainly muted when we are experiencing some kind of pain or anguish. But, I believe those moments build us into the kind of people who know what living is all about. Living is taking what life gives you and trying to make the best of it. Of course, it's natural and commendable to eliminate pain when possible, but we must be careful to not separate pain from life. A life focused solely on maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain has a name--hedonism.
I'm sure the people of Intermountain Vein Center are well-intentioned, so this is not a direct blow at them, really--just an example of why we cannot accept the messages our culture sends us without thinking about them and the philosophies that underlie them.
5 comments:
profound thought, Lauren. I especially liked how you said we have to be careful not to try to separate life from pain. I believe Wesley from the Princess Bride had the right idea when he said "Life IS pain, Highness". I keep reminding myself that whenever I get a lil anxious about labor...
kind of ironic that as I was thinking about the post, I thought about labor and the gals at work discussing the drugs, and here the other comment has worries about labor.
Pain for me (besides what you stated), tells me something - that I haven't eaten, that I have the music too loud, that I'm injuring myself. And when the gals talk about the drugs and how they couldn't feel anything, that scares me. I want to know when to push if I manage to have kids. And the pain of the contraction tells me that. Granted, the one gal had labor so painful that she was hallucinating and throwing up so she did need the drugs, but I hope I don't have it that bad.
Love the deep thoughts Lauren. You are so right, what would it be like if everyone thought that when they were suffering.
Sometimes, after a good exercise, I feel an ache in my muscles and kind of pain reminds me that I'm still alive. Sometimes, pain makes life more real.
And not just physical pain... sometimes our deepest sorrows pave the way for our greatest joys; and, I suspect that for the righteous sorrow can be a mode of joy, rather than its antithesis.
Good post!
Deep thought. I saw that same commercial the other day and remember thinking that it kind of sucked how they just assumed these people didn't have lives just because they were in pain. I love this post-- it definitely has given me some good food for thought.
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