Pain and Confusion

   We are all afraid of pain. Every human tries to flee from pain. We try to escape from pain, try to find means to medicate, try to block it out or we flee. The point I am trying to make is that most of us i.e 95% of us flee from pain. Only 5% face it and understand that pain is the doorway to real power because when you suffer you become strong. When we go into the past and read the history of great people- there is one thing common to all – they all had broken hearts consistently and relentlessly. But rather than remaining stuck in their pain these were the people who fought with it and used it as fuel to find greater freedom, greater power, greater strength, greater gifts, greater wisdom, greater humanity, in service of as many people as possible. Are we able to do this?

   I have been an admirer of Kahlil Gibran’s writing and in one his books The Prophet he writes in a chapter On Pain: 'Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding, even as the stone of the fruit must break that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain. And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy, and you would accept the seasons of your heart even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.' I love Gibran because he writes the truth. He himself had long periods of pain when his books were not being sold. He kept working on 'The Prophet' for long five years in order to get every word perfect. Van Gogh sold only one painting in his lifetime. It’s only after several years of his death people understood his paintings and revered him. This is the plight with most of the visionaries because it is through pain that you explore reality. Pain is the doorway to the exploration of reality. A confused state of mind is highly painful.

   All visionary/ great people were crystal clear about what they wanted. There was no confusion in their minds. And as Nietzsche say, “Chaos gives birth to dancing stars.” They reached clarity through confusion. Confusion is painful but if dealt with intellect it will lead you to your goals. The road to success passes through confusion and messiness. But once you reach there its beautiful. Confusion is a sign of growth and clarity. It helps you to become strong and ready to face the battles of life.