16 November 2021

“We cannot be more sensitive to pleasure without being more sensitive to pain.”

Alan Watts

Reflection

I remember when I was a teenager. I thought I would never find a partner to share my love with. It was so painful that I wished I had no feelings. I thought that avoiding falling in love would save me a lot of pain and suffering. Today, when I experience strong emotions I don’t enjoy, I can sometimes actually appreciate it. The knowledge that the intensity I experience in pain is intimately linked to the intensity of pleasure, makes it easier to endure moments of hardship and struggle.

Today's exercise

The next time you experience pain, physical or mental, try to experience the pain disconnected from interpretations or stories. Be present with the pain. Where does it feel in the body? Release any desires for the pain to go away. Drop any context you have created around the pain. Just breathe with it in the present moment for a while. Do you experience the pain differently than before?

Tip of the day

Listen to Ken Wilber talk about how it will get more painful the more we develop: Hurts More, Bothers You Less