"Pain is weakness leaving the body"

[labguy22]

"Pain is weakness leaving the body"
I saw this on a t-shirt at the gym last week and at first thought it was funny; then I started thinking about it. Pain is often looked upon as something to be avoided or even frightened of; I really like the idea of pain as being put into a positive statement. I did a google and found the statement actually originated with the US Marines.
I can see how this could be used to motivate someone with physical pain, but I think it could apply to spiritual, mental, disease wherever pain can appear. Turn it around and see pain as a positive force which is going to produce a stronger outcome.

[Alecto]

See, that's awesome when it's true. But this seems to potentially lead into BDSM territory what with pain for the sake of pain which isn't necessarily terrible, but, um...not my thing?

[BrianB]

That sounds like a line from a movie. Here's one from Heart Break Ridge. "You want to know the best thing about pain? It let's you know you're alive."

[Rick336]

Originally Posted by labguy22

Turn it around and see pain as a positive force which is going to produce a stronger outcome.

Yeah right. If I hit my thumb with a hammer, I doubt there'll be any positive words coming out of my mouth.

Rick

[ctozrn]

I don't know if I agree with that statement....as I cared for a little eight year old girl this week who was dying from a brain tumor, her body was in pain and she had a seizure that lasted 4 hours....she was in pain. I was giving her morphine, among other meds. The things that I was doing were not much of a help. She died after 5 hours of pain and suffering. I watched her take her last breath. She was not weak at all to me....probably the strongest little thing I have seen in a long time.

[Rick336]

Originally Posted by ctozrn

I don't know if I agree with that statement....as I cared for a little eight year old girl this week who was dying from a brain tumor, her body was in pain and she had a seizure that lasted 4 hours....she was in pain. I was giving her morphine, among other meds. The things that I was doing were not much of a help. She died after 5 hours of pain and suffering. I watched her take her last breath. She was not weak at all to me....probably the strongest little thing I have seen in a long time.

Christine,

This post breaks my heart. It's so tragic for such a young life to experience such suffering and then die and miss out on so much life.

You have a very kind and loving heart to have been there for her.

Rick

[ctozrn]

I didn't and don't feel kind and loving...I felt very helpless. I am surprised that this has affected me the way it did. I have been a hospice nurse for two years but this is my first child that I have been with that died. I keep reliving it in my head. It has been really hard.... I didn't expect that it would......

[Zerbie]

Originally Posted by ctozrn

I didn't and don't feel kind and loving...I felt very helpless. I am surprised that this has affected me the way it did. I have been a hospice nurse for two years but this is my first child that I have been with that died. I keep reliving it in my head. It has been really hard.... I didn't expect that it would......

It only makes sense to me that the first time you see this happen with a child it would affect you deeply. It seems unnatural to us to see children die, whereas it seems more the natural order of things to see our elders pass. But children? That's going to feel unnatural and wrong in a different way. I am not surprised this hit you hard.