Pain!

If we look contemplatively at life, we will see that pain is inevitable and inescapable. It is, with its all various and different shapes – pain of deprivation, failure,  going astray, oppression, disability or illness — an essential component of life. There is no life without pain. It is simply the ordinance of life. So whoever imagines or plans for his life without including experiencing pain in his account will be greatly deceiving himself.

Since we accept that we can never experience real life without gulping the cup of pain and trials, we should at least try to understand that inevitable partner of life. I myself always see pain as great power and violent energy. I think it is the only power that has the ability to make radical and deep change in our hearts, our souls and our minds as well. I always like to resemble it to fire that is aimed to reconfigure our minds, purify our hearts and refine our souls.

There is no doubt that we change after experiencing pain and that change is sometimes deep and radical. I think the main reason for this serious and radical change is the violent and sudden ruin of our high and magnificent palaces – the palaces of our great expectations and hopes in life. We spend a lot of time building such imaginative palaces and we never think of pain as an inescapable destiny that may be a real threat to such magnificent palaces. That is why we always get horribly shocked when pain comes suddenly to frustrate all our magnificent plans. We feel horribly shocked when we taste that bitter savor of loss. It is not only the loss of our great expectations, but also loss of that false belief that we have control over our own destiny- the false sense of being secure. Pain comes to tell us how powerless, helpless and ignorant we are. It smashes our arrogance and puts our hand on our innate weakness. It  unveils our vulnerability that we always refuse to admit. As a result we dive in deep grief.

 I think it is that deep grief that is considered the great power and violent energy that drives that radical change in our hearts, our souls and our minds as well. It smelts the coat of hardness and severity that wraps the heart to leave it as transparent and soft as the heart of an innocent child. The power of pain melts the heart and causes it to be so sensitive that it can easily recognize the pain of others and sympathize with them. It also refines the soul. It erases that vicious heap of arrogance, self-conceit, greed and being deceived by whims. That deep grief is the great power, or we can say the fire that melts our hearts and purifies our souls. It is the power that smashes our arrogance and brings us back to our innate goodness.

Sometimes the impact of pain goes beyond purification of hearts and refining of souls. For some people pain can be the great power and violent energy that generates creativity and breeds ingenuity. In such cases pain represents the challenge those people need to change their big loss to magnificent success. It is their incentive that releases all their latent gifts and hidden abilities. The great and violent power of pain reconfigures their minds and sleeks their insight so that they can see the wisdom of life.

Amany Elmorshidy

3 thoughts on “Pain!”

  1. Salam 🙂 I just want to congratulate you. I like your simple, clear, straight to the point, touching, scientific, & logical flaw of thoughts & style of writing. God bless you & accept from you. Finally, may God’s mercy be upon your dad’s soul & it’s clear that the blessed tree left seeds in your garden..

  2. Salam, dear sister

    Thanks so much for this very encouraging words..I do appreciate it and I am really blessed by your visit to my humble blog…:) Jazaki Allahu Khairan

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