Blog 3510 – 06.13.2025

The Purpose of Pain

Pain is a signal to warn us of a problem. Like that annoying little bell in my pickup truck that warns that either the driver or the passenger’s seat belt is not buckled while the truck is in motion. Pain usually begins as a whisper then depending on how dire the problem may soon sound like the dive warning alarm on a submarine.

We are intended to heed those warning signals, to be advised of the pending danger, and to be prompt take action to remedy the situation if it is needed . Sadly we have been programmed to manage (mask) the pain by popping a pill. This can be as as relatively detrimental to our over heath as taking a Tylenol or Aspirin (both doctor approved but harmful to the liver and stomach respectively) or the more heavy duty painkillers like morphine and heroine and their derivatives and synthetics like Codeine and Hydrocodone, all of which potentially lead to addiction requiring more and more with less and less numbing effect.

How are we supposed to deal with pain. Some religions are based on the denial of pain or the equally erroneous assumption that pain is some sort of judgement for sins as the pain and difficulty in the birthing process were said to be God’s judgement on the woman for her part in the original sin. The guilt religions all have this sort of explanation for pain as a punishment for breaking the rules. I just don’t buy that theory any longer.

Even as a young teenager experiencing my first pains of loving someone who did not love me back (one of the deepest and most hurtful pains we can experience) I wrote a short poem that still rings true to me:

The Purpose of Pain

The purpose of pain as I see it

All toll of one heart torn

Is to make the heart more tender

Each dying rose to mourn.

To experience fully these what I call these adventures in time and space we must taste pain as well as pleasure. How we deal with both helps determine our outlook on life, whether we see ourselves as victims or survivors as helpless or heroes. I choose the latter. How about you?

Buckle up, Buttercup.

Your friend and fellow traveler,

David James White

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S_ysLH4hPufXxXOCAbSc9McY3_O0fqmQ/view?usp=drivesdk

All That We Let In