Every pain has a purpose and gives meaning to our life. Pain has a language of its own. It is a great emotional teacher which crafts us into the warriors of life. It moulds and shapes a person into the best possible version of his/her own self. Pain makes one stronger and more resilient in the face of adversity. It is the powerful driving force that makes us kind and considerate. It plunges an individual into the ocean of truth and revolutionizes him as a person. Pain is a path to success. The victorious people in the world have achieved greater success through pain and suffering and used it as a weapon of strength and opportunity to move forward optimistically in life.
We can give our pain meaning by the way we respond to it. As Viktor Frankl in his book ‘Mans Search For Meaning’ says, “You cannot control what happens to you in life, but you can always control what you feel and do about that situation”. Frankl claims there are three ways to find meaning in life: through love, through work and pain. He used his suffering as an opportunity to make himself a better person. Even in the worst painful situation, man always has the freedom to choose his attitude towards life. By embracing the pain we give ourselves that space to grow up in life.
Pain instills passion. We cannot have passion without pain. The more pain we feel about any issue the more passionate our stance becomes on that subject. If any kind of injustice in society pains us to the core, then serving justice to that part of society becomes our passion. The great Martin Luther King faced many trials and tribulations in his life while on a mission for equality. He experienced racial discrimination from a very young time. His quest for achieving equality and justice for Americans of all colours became his only purpose in life and it was the pain which gave purpose to his life and he decided to dedicate his whole life to people.
Pain also cultivates compassion. It is never a symbol of weakness. We learn to harness the power of pain when we acknowledge it and let it transform into a source of empowerment and growth. Without pain, there is no gain. What hurts us heals us too. All we need is that willpower and wisdom to rise above the storms of life and get that sunshine which still shines behind all those thick clouds.
The writer can be reached at [email protected]

Muzamil Bashir