I was doing some UWorld questions the other day, just grinding through like usual, and one case about neuropathy really got me thinking. It talked about how people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (with involvement of large fibers) can’t feel pain properly, which actually makes things way worse. When a patient has sensory loss, it allows minor injuries to go unrecognized until the development of an ulcer. So yeah, pain sucks, no one wants to feel it, but it’s actually what keeps us safe.
I recently watched the new 2025 movie called Novocaine which is about the guy who has congenital insensitivity to pain - yeah, that’s a real condition. At first it sounds like a superpower, but it’s actually messed up because he can break a bone, burn his hand, or bleed out and not even notice.
Just as physical pain serves as a warning to protect us, emotional and existential pain also plays a critical role in our development and survival - and that’s the aspect I want to briefly discuss here. Even though the following examples are from fictional worlds, they carry important ideas.
Do you remember in The Vampire Diaries how the characters could turn off their emotions? Whenever they faced something painful -trauma, loss of a loved one, and so on - how that was their way out? You probably wished you could do that too, huh? Well, no matter how liberating it seems at first, over time the consequences catch up, because shutting off pain also shuts down love, compassion, empathy, and morality. So, basically, it turns out that pain is what anchors them to their humanity.
Feel pain. Accept pain. And know pain. Those who do not know pain will never understand true peace.
Another reference that comes to mind is Pain's speech to Naruto. While talking to him, Pain says, “Everyone feels the same pain when losing something dear.” This shifts the focus from seemingly harsh ideology (see quote above) to shared humanity - pain connects us all. Just like in The Leftovers (TV show), Nora and Kevin connected because of their pain - they both lost so much, and in each other, they found someone who really understood what that felt like.
I can keep writing about fictional and real people's experiences dealing with pain, their struggle, overcoming it, and the lessons they learn. But at the end of the day, it all comes down to our own experiences and the hardships we must endure, and learn from. It's worth mentioning that many people, with their unprocessed pain, end up on the darker side, becoming bitter and resentful. But it’s our individual responsibility to resist this and overcome it.
In a world where everyone's mindlessly scrolling and chasing dopamine hits, don't let yourself become a slave to it. Learn to sit with pain, understand it, and let it teach you. Pain sharpens our awareness and helps us become more mindful, so we can appreciate the good things while we have them, instead of realizing their value only after they’re gone.
The pain that you have been feeling can't be compared to the joy that is coming!