I’ve been thinking about pain more lately. I think it started with a therapeutic massage, when the practitioner outright told me ”this is going to really hurt for 10 seconds” and he didn’t lie. It’s rare to get such a warning of pain coming, and to think about how you will react. It made me realise how little pain I’ve have through my long life: I’ve been so lucky. Sure there’s been instances of acute pain (broken hip) and chronically, only MGD.
Having close friends and family with visious chronic pain is very sobering, but at least bring me to a more realistic view of pain in everyone’s lives. They are good role models for when more of it enters my life, as it will.
Why the Right Philosophy Is the Best Pain Medication – The Atlantic
Summary
The article (by Arthur C. Brooks) discusses Cyrenaic philosophy, which prioritizes seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. It highlights the dangers of this mindset, showing how constant pleasure-seeking can lead to addiction and the “Cyrenaic paradox” of diminishing satisfaction. Brooks also critiques pain avoidance, explaining how fear of pain can worsen conditions. Instead of avoiding pain or overindulging in pleasure, he advocates for acceptance and managing pain, inspired by Stoic philosophy. Therapeutic approaches like mindfulness and acceptance therapy focus on accepting pain while shifting our focus to positive aspects of life.
From Deepak Chopra (with brooks): Intention without attachment…..
Being overly attached to anything in life invites suffering. The solution is to see major goals not as the only way to achieve happiness but as points of navigation that set a direction for your lifelong journey. That way, when storms arise and new opportunities present themselves, you can set a new goal and gracefully let go of your old one, thereby avoiding disappointment and missed opportunities.
When setting out your long-term goals, try writing them down followed by these words: or something better. This gives you explicit permission to diverge from these goals as life circumstances dictate—which you can and should do without disappointment if the original goals are no longer appropriate.