I’m a better person when I’m in pain
The relationship between physical pain and emotion has been a subject of speculation for quite some time now.
Researchers have suggested that negative emotions can actually cause chronic, physical pain, and we have seen what depression and similar negative emotions can do to our body.
But have you ever experienced going through a spiritual refinement because you have suffered some acute physical pain? Has a painful experience stirred your emotions? Or is it just me?
Last week, I finally managed to gather all the courage it takes to get a tattoo. And I am not going to say it did not hurt because it did, in fact, hurt.
As my tattoo artist began to mark me for life, I decided it would be best for me to just lie down and close my eyes rather than to glare at the needles drilling my skin and feel sick to my stomach. And trust me, the pain did strange things to me.
I began to reflect on many things, apart from just clenching my fists and gritting my teeth.
I thought about my family back home, my close friends and all the people who mean a lot to me. I realized how much they have done for me, how much more I could have done and still can do for them.
I thought of people I have hated all my life and people I have vowed never to see or talk to again. I realized how lame the word “hatred” is.
What could be the reason for hating or feeling hostile towards someone? It could either be a disagreement or a misunderstanding. And yet we actually spend time and energy hating other people.
Suddenly, all those people I hated didn’t seem that bad at all. After all, they too feel pain and probably pained by the same things I am. Then why hate because of a mere disagreement?
Whew! My tattoo was finally done, and it looked fabulous. It also marked the end of my spiritual and emotional journey. But hey, come to think about it, the pain actually made me think like a saint!
It also reminded me of a surgery I had to undergo when I was in the ninth grade. Maybe I was too young at the time to engage in high philosophical thinking, but yes, the pain I experienced the first night after the surgery did make the rebellious teen in me realize my parents really cared about me and always wanted the best for me.
So all of you people who have been thinking of getting tattooed but have been reluctant because of the pain you might experience, trust me, a little pain sometimes doesn’t hurt at all.
Nataleeya is a senior studying journalism, broadcasting and mass communication technologies.
Columnists' opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of The Spectrum