I have come to think of pain and suffering as two very different experiences. Pain is often what we go through when we choose to move whereas suffering can be what happens when we choose to stay. Sometimes suffering is the regret of the things we would have done if we had been willing to endure the pain required to do them. Leaving a situation can be painful. Having a difficult conversation can be painful. Starting again can be painful. Going to the gym can be painful. Yet, I rarely regret those experiences because I understand why I am experiencing the discomfort and the soreness reminds me that I did something that required effort.
Pain can be an accelerant to better times as sometimes the short-term discomfort is the price we pay for long-term freedom, growth or peace. The danger comes when we try to avoid both pain and suffering and we withdraw, and become numb. We stop taking risks, stop having difficult conversations and stop making the decisions we know we need to make. Avoiding pain does not necessarily mean we avoid suffering. Maybe this is why I walk towards the pain so I can avoid the suffering.
““We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.””