Pain

Rational mind is something we are proud to have. Though, yet again it has proven itself being insufficient: when it comes to emotions, it's a pathetic coward. The moment we are struck with one it's nowhere to be found.

I have already discussed why we could need emotions and intuition as whole package. Also I'm not going to talk about emotions overall due to the diversity and complexity of it. This time I'm going to focus on one which I believe to be the most destructive of them all - the pain.

We are ready to do almost anything to avoid the feeling of pain. I'm glad that modern medicine has it covered as long the pain is physical, so I'm not going to stop on that. What interests me more is its mental form. Why do we need it? Why is it so powerful and long-lasting? Could we someday eradicate it?

Why do we need such self-destructive emotion as pain? It can shut us down completely, taking away any hope we might have left and draining away every bit of happiness. They say: whatever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. That's true all right, but it's not the whole truth. The strength we gain from pain is temporal or perhaps in worse cases permanent numbness. Is it the strength we want? Or perhaps it has exactly the same purpose as Its physical counterpart - signaling us of an dangerous error? But how could it be applicable in case of a broken heart? The error of choosing wrong mate? For all we know the one left with pain is also the one truly believing that the match was a good one. Or perhaps It's something else rationally useful backfiring at us? What then? Seems like I'm unable to answer what is pain good for.

Another thing I find curious is why does it have to be such a strong emotion. Wouldn't a lot less be enough to let us know that something is not right. Maybe this is something that the first question should also cover. Still, I am amazed by the destructiveness of it. To be able to maim somebody like that is truly extraordinary. Rare aren't cases when the pain has driven people suicidal, therefore maiming one for eternity. It also tends to have the ability to recreate itself from even the smallest incident that's related to the source of the pain giving it the resilience. However you look at it, the potential destruction it can cause to a human being, is immense.

Be it useful or not, dosed correctly or not, one thing is for sure - large majority of us doesn't want it happening to themselves or to their dearest ones. Could we get rid of it someday then? Yes, but the method could be compared to nuking a city to destroy the rats living in it. I believe that in the future a pill could be conjured, which upon using results in complete numbness of emotions, therefore also eradicating the pain. But this wouldn't be the solution we want. I don't believe that we will be able to remove any specific emotion, ever. There won't be painkillers for soul, so to speak.

In the end, the pain is just an enemy we are bound to flee from until struck, then we either fight and survive, therefore getting another chance or give up by killing the pain along with yourself. The last one is something I wouldn't recommend, however. I would also like to believe, that one could get stronger with each fight, without becoming numb, but better in avoiding and relieving it. However, I don't.

Sorry for ending with such hopelessness, but that's exactly, what the pain does.