Posted by Bill McC (198.64.206.92) on November 05, 1999 at 19:54:47:
In Reply to: What we got here is a failure to communicate. posted by Dennis O'C on November 05, 1999 at 19:02:15:
...the question I was posing was to address the why is it spiritual to endure pain, rather than how to endure the pain.
The historical view that pain was to be endured for spiritual purposes strikes a discord in my gut. Sure, all of us have devised ways to cope with the pain, some may have even found a spiritual experience in the process. At the edge, at the very edge, I can see how one might achieve trancendence through the pain. Literature is full of this kind of stuff: BDSM sites are cheap and plentiful, suffering is noble, yadda yadda...
Pain transference is a tool. I kind of like the Vulcan mind-meld approach which Spock demonstrates do well. It seems so effective. I'm not there yet. Compassion and support are excellent and build strengh for everyone involved. Those are why's but are causative rather than primary why's.
The universe is seemingly quirky because we do not know how it really works. Yes, I guess we can redirect the CH-pain to spiritual purposes and rationalize it six ways to Sunday, but to have the medical profession force us to endure the pain because they believe it will bring us closer to God really rankles me. I'm glad to see the attitude towards pain management shift to knocking it down to tolerable levels and allowing folks to find God in kinder ways is taking hold.
Pain is pain -- CH-pain is torture. Gotta be those loosed demons, metaphorically of course.