It was within this insight that I felt a disembodied peace, and then another insight: it is pain of some kind or another, whether physical or emotional, that forces our focus, that makes us realize not only the importance of what we had, but of what we have and might have. My ancient grandfather used to say, just about every day as we rolled our eyes, "You ain't got nuthin' if you don't got your health." That can only come from someone who has experienced several bouts of bad health. The pain of nostalgia is another that makes us realize what we had, and helps us focus on what should be important. And that is the thing about pain, for as I felt good about the morning, I had no other thoughts until that thought of pain came, of the opposite of what I was experiencing. It was then that I understood that if everything were pleasant, I would never understand a thing; that if everything were just fine, I would not try to delve deeper into the reality, the preciousness of what we have in life. I would simply be and pass on to other pleasantries.
I do not like pain, not in any way. I fear dying worse than I fear death for the pain. I hope that my death is quick and relatively painless, a stroke in the middle of the night, but that is my fear speaking. Without the loss of friends through time, wouldn't I value them less? Without sickness, wouldn't I value health less? And with a guarantee of a quick and painless death, would I bother to seriously contemplate life? It is, it seems, our enforcer, what it takes to make us think. In the classroom, some teach that human intelligence is coincidental, an accident of our tool-making capabilities; a liability, even, for without reflective thought, we would not worry about the pain of the past or the possible pain of the future. Of course, I disagree. Human intelligence is, simply speaking, astounding, and in that, has a purpose. With nothing but fun and frolic, would we use it? I would like to think so, but I know differently. I would play and sleep and die, as mindless of the greater realities beyond pleasure as the day I was born.
There may or may not be a far-reaching destiny for humankind, couched in spiritual evolution. But there certainly is personal evolution, brought about primarily through unpleasant experiences. It is through these that we can find true value and appreciation beyond mindless pleasure. I wish it were not so, but I know myself, and it is true. Pain is necessary for growth, just like your coach said in middle school. FK