“Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional”, Haruki Murakami
“Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears”, Marcus Aurelius
Pain and suffering are two different feelings. They both last for different lengths of time. The methods to alleviate pain is different from suffering. Pain will happen but we inflict suffering on ourselves.
Pain is unpleasant physical or emotional sensation. It could be physical injury, loss of a family member, or any other raw hurtful emotion we feel. Pain is unavoidable. If you break a bone, you will suffer from the pain. If you lose a loved one, you will fell the pain physically and emotionally. The remedy for pain is medication and sharing. Over time, the pain injury will heal and your pain will disappear.
Suffering is how we perceive our pain. Pain is getting injured before the final match. Suffering is lamenting the injury. Why did I deserve to get hurt and miss the match? I always get hit by bad luck. It is not fair. Why me? This mindset brings suffering. The remedy for suffering is to change the way you interpret the events. For example. It is unfortunate that I was injured before the final match but I will heal over time and play again. Just accept the reality and don’t attach all kinds of negative consequences to it. Don’t judge the pain or the event caused the pain. Instead focus on what you need to do next.
Pain will happen and it will go away over time. Suffering is optional and if you don’t deal with it, it can linger and keep hurting you for the remainder of your life.