PREAMBLE

William Shakespeare in Act V of his “Macbeth” wrote:

“Life is but a walking Shadow, a poor Player That
struts and frets his Hour upon the Stage,
And then is heard no more;
It is a tall tale, told by an Idiot,
full of Sound and Fury, Signifying nothing."

If we accepted this concept, then Life loses all its meaning and we are reduced to a pathetic, sorry state where, as many do believe, we are born, we live and die without any reason, any purpose.

I completely reject this position. To me, life is not a random series of transient, overlapping, unrelated experiences, destined to be consigned to oblivion upon completion. I believe instead, life is a precious expression of a greater plan in which our time spent on earth is but a short segment of a journey which began in eternity and will continue to eternity.

Throughout history this question has been the subject of much philosophical, scientific and theological speculation. There have been a large number of differing, conflicting and diverging answers reflecting the various cultural and ideological backgrounds, clearly indicating the true complexity of the problem. In my opinion, there will never be an answer that will satisfy every one, and so it should be. In the end, each one of us must arrive at our individual position and as such apply this to the expression of our own life. For it is only by understanding our own self, can we really appreciate the true meaning of our life.

For me, one of the most eloquent, complete and comprehensive description of Life and it's purpose, is this description by Mother Teresa:

“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is a beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it. Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it. Life is life, fight for it!”

With this in mind, in this blog I propose to briefly deal with random aspects of life as I have experienced them along the way. It is certainly not meant to be a guide for you to follow, but rather a reference that you may use as you see fit. I will also include quotations specially selected for each subject because of their impact upon me, and for no other reason.

I welcome your comments, criticisms and suggestions and active participation.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

LIFE WITH KHALIL GIBRAN-A View of Pain


Foreword
In 1954 I visited Lebanon and Syria while I was attending medical school in England. Part of my itinerary included visiting the home/museum of Khalil Gibran in the beautiful village of Besharri situated just north of Tripoli at the foothills of the famous Cedars of Lebanon. I was overwhelmed by the sensitivity and depth of his work both written and artistic, and continue to be up to the present. Like many millions of people, I am particularly impressed with his publication, “The Prophet”, and have spent many happy hours reflecting on the topics of his essays.
In this and in subsequent essays, I will be selecting some of the topics, reproducing his quotation and then recording my thoughts as I see and feel them. This effort is not meant to be a scholarly interpretation of his work, but merely my own views based on my own experiences and understanding.


……And a woman spoke, saying; Tell us of Pain.
And he said:

"Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.
Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun,
so must you know pain.
And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life,
your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy;
And you would accept the seasons of your heart,
even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.
And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief."
Much of your pain is self-chosen.It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility:For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen,And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips,
has been fashioned of the claywhich the Potter has moistened with His own sacred tears.”

To the prophet, pain is an important and fundamental factor in the awakening and understanding of oneself. To experience pain, like the breaking of the stone of the fruit, brings an opportunity to truly know yourself and be yourself. It affords you the chance to gain insight as you emerge from “winters” of uncertainty into the light of enlightenment.
He reassures us that we are not alone, that even as the pain appears to be unbearable, a “bitter potion” from the physician’s “heavy and hard hands", it is guided by the “tender hand of the unseen”. And the cup, “though it burns the lips” is moistened by “sacred tears” of the potter.
Therefore he advises, pain must be chosen and accepted as an inevitable passage to growth and understanding, a force for goodness and a road that leads to expansion of consciousness.

As I see it, pain has been generally described as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. It alerts us to danger and tells us when something is wrong within our bodies. If the danger is acute, then the body will react spontaneously by reflex action, even before the brain is aware of the danger.
The mechanisms by which pain is experienced have been extensively studied and demonstrated. They involve the entire peripheral and central nervous systems and specific centers in the brain and are present Throughout the entire animal kingdom. They are essentially self-protective in nature.
But we all know that pain is not only physical and from our own experiences it should be clear that such a definition is grossly incomplete. There is indeed, a category of pain, equally or more debilitating, which does not involve the nervous pathways or tissue damage. The great ancient philosophers wrote extensively on the impact of this type of pain on the human psyche, and throughout the centuries literature is overflowing with stories of emotional suffering. In some ways this emotional pain can be more intense and last longer than physical pain.
Anyone who has experienced the pain of loss, or of shame, or of disappointment will attest to the depth and length of suffering. This is the pain that is often described as “coming from the soul”, and can lead to severe changes in outlook and behavior.
Interestingly, recent MRI/Scan studies have shown that the changes in the brains of people with physical and emotional pain, including imaginary pain, are essentially similar irrespective of the causative agents. This has given rise to proposals that there are common underlying biochemical etiologies.
To my mind this should not really be surprising. Any practicing professional with experience, will attest to the commonality of symptoms, presentation, management and outcome of the many varieties of pain perception in the human psyche. Suggesting that the successful outcome of a pain episode, whatever the cause, is less dependent on the specific treatment modality, as it is on the attitude and understanding you bring to bear on the situation.
This is perhaps what Gibran meant when he wrote these lines:

"Much of your pain is self-chosen.
It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self."

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There are no gains without Pain.
……Benjamin Franklin

Pain is no evil, unless it conquers us.
……..George Eliot

Pain is life; the sharper, the more evidence of life.
……Charles Lamb

Without Pain, there is no coming to consciousness.
…….Carl Jung

The greatest evil is physical pain.
..…Saint Augustine

There is no Pain so great,
as the memory of joy in present grief.
……Aeschylus

Pain nourishes courage.
…..Mary Tyler Moore

Pain is short-lived, but Pride lasts a lifetime.
……. Elvis Stojko

Pain is a feeling. Your feelings are a part of you.
…..Your own reality.
If you feel ashamed of them, and hide them, you're lettingsociety destroy your reality.
You should stand up for your right to feel your pain.
……Jim Morrison



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