Pain vs Pleasure

I've often pondered about suffering, and about how much is too much, or perhaps, what would be the right dosage for different kind of people. One of my heroes Mahatma Gandhi said that 'Suffering brings you to Greatness'; and also, 'You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind'. He was a man who stood up for his people peacefully. Another hero, Nelson Mandela, who said that ' There is no passion to be found planning small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living', and also, 'When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn off the heat'. He had to withstand 40 years in prison away from his family and life because he had to abide by unbelievable rules of people who had invaded his country. The great prophets themselves went through suffering before achieving the ultimate bliss/blessings. Jesus, the Messiah (my great,great,great,great,great x 100 great grand father :)) was mocked and belittled, stripped of his clothes and whipped and made to walk the streets wearing a plaited crown of thorns and carrying a heavy cross. He ended up being nailed to it in front of an entire community. Siddhartha, turned Buddha with a good enough upbringing, learnt about suffering and pain when he made his way out into the world, eating only a leaf a day and having a drink of water, only when it rained. Scoffed by his fellow friends on the path when he realized that life was about the middle path/way; and tempted when he was coming close to achieving Nirvana. And Mohammed, who was a diplomat, philosopher and person of divine action for his people, went through his own share of suffering, orphaned at an early age and worked hard most of his life as a merchant, until he completely surrendered his life to God/Allah and began having revelations about life.

We wonder then if pain and pleasure go hand in hand. One of my favourite, if not finest mythical poets from the 13^th century, the Persian, Jalal al-Din Rumi, who later settled in Konya Turkey, wrote most attractively about life, yet he was able to also capture feelings of dread and doubt that often times went along with it. Khalil Gibran, also, from the East, but this time Lebanese heritage, spoke of truth within the Universe, saying that both pain and pleasure flows in the same stream together. For if we drink and have a merry time, however drink in excess, then we receive pain the next day and feel ill. So in other words we actually bring it upon ourselves. Therefore, perhaps we should always succeed carefully and cautiously and with a steady pace. On the other hand, if we did not feel pain, how would we strengthen or build our character? How would we purify ourselves and become more spiritual and soul-searching? We all strive for happiness, but would we be able to express ourselves fully if we didn't withstand pain and suffering?

I believe, based on my readings, lessons from my father and experiences in life, that after immense suffering and pain, one becomes happy to know of the maturity/strength and clear vision one is given after being able to withstand and or become resilient. It also gives you the opportunity to surrender and change your attitude because we achieve spiritual insight or spiritual truth.

So you may be in limbo, (by the way, just had to say that 'limbo the dance' was created in non other than the lovely twin-islands of Trinidad & Tobago J) and unsure of how long this amount of suffering will last. One hundred years is like one day in the spiritual/heavenly realm, therefore we must garner patience, there is no time-limit to success or adoration. Mr. Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment from 1964 to 1982. He was then moved to another prison until Febuary 11^th 1990, when 4 decades later he was finally set free; and this man can still smile and have hope. He can still love people despite others that hated him so much and treated his people so badly. The sweet, meek , mild and jolly Dalai Lama is another great man who despite treachery, violence and betrayal of his people and his land, he is still able to show others genuine love and be of service to others which brings him joy. If they are able to have patience and belief in their dreams after such an extended amount of time,( in the Dalia Lama's case, he is still waiting), then who are we to complain and pout and stomp around.

Do not compare yourself to other people, whom in your eyes may be doing better than you are; everyone has their own path, and their own problems, therefore, be grateful for your path and your plan and have faith that you too will be able to achieve greatness.

I will leave you with a lovely little story I came across once, and I hope it is as effective for you as it was for me; feel free to include man/woman as you see fit; remember nothing in life is permanent, so enjoy:

THE STRAWBERRY STORY

A woman/man is running from a tiger that's chasing her/him. She runs through the woods until she gets to the edge of a cliff. The tiger is still behind her, so she climbs down a vine. The tiger reaches the top of the cliff and paces back and forth, licking its chops. Midway down the cliff, hanging onto the vine, she sees another tiger below her, pacing back and forth, licking its chops. As, she's hanging there, two mice come out and start gnawing on the vine. She tries to shoo them away but they won't go.

Just then she sees, growing out of the face of the cliff in front of her, a wild strawberry. She picks it and eats it. It's delicious.

According to Bhagavad Gita:

"The contacts of the senses with the sense objects give rise to the feelings of heat and cold, and pain and pleasure. They are transitory and impermanent. Therefore, [learn to] endure them, O Arjuna."

And Marquis De Sade:

"It is always by way of pain one arrives at pleasure."

"So the path may be treacherous, long and unfair, but during this daunting bit of voyage, you find beauty, truth, trust and love, which if you never made the journey, you would never know they in fact existed!" J -- By Jair Ananda Massiah.