If you’re a weeb, you already have heard that before. If you’re not, don’t worry, I’m not writing down the review for Naruto Shippuden’s best arc. Pain is a fictional character (possibly the best villian), simply put who inspired me to write this article. Bear with me when I mention some names from the manga/anime, but other than that, this is the best philosophy you’ll ever come across.
Pain’s philosophy:
Nagato Uzumaki aka Pain is the most beloved villain in the Naruto manga. It’s not because of Pain’s power but rather the idea based on which Pain’s Ideology came into existence in the first place. He believed that achieving peace through friendship was a naive and brass way of achieving it. He believed that this world was in a never ending cycle of hatred and death, and that true peace will exist only through the experience of war. That’s where the question comes. ‘How is this logical?’
People who experience pain and suffering typically do not want to experience it again. Pain declares “I am going to show this world true pain…stop all wars with the terror that pain will inspire”. Think about it. When you hurt yourself, say by touching fire, you experience pain and remember what it feels like. The next time you see fire, you are not going to touch it because you know that it will hurt and do not want to experience it again. The pain has become a deterrent for you not taking that action. The same holds true for Pain’s plan. Have people experience such extreme pain from war that they will not want to do it again. In his own way, this is causing peace by stopping war.
Countries with power fight amongst each other, causing destruction to the weaker ones which end up as their battlegrounds. They also profit from these wars, thus being enticed to cause skirmishes to make money. Those caught up in the skirmishes, the weaker countries, suffer and end up ‘knowing pain’. However, the powerful are untouched by these small scale conflicts, and thus don’t know the ‘pain’ of the smaller countries. Pain wanted to make a weapon to cause pain to everyone. Once everyone knew the pain they caused to others, they’d seek peace so they wouldn’t have to experience it again. Picture it as the Cold War: USA vs USSR. Both countries were fine for the most part, but where they battled for political dominance — Afghanistan, Panama, Vietnam, Angola — suffered and ‘felt pain’. That’s probably the best explanation I can give.
Pain’s cycle of hatred:
“Love is the reason why there is pain. When we lose someone precious to us, hate is born. Vengeance is the product of that hate and so death follows. But in death there is only more death. This will give rise to more pains. In this cursed world we live in, it is a cycle of hatred that will not cease. Let me ask you this: How will you confront this hatred in order to create peace?” — Pain
The cycle of hatred is a resonant war that getting revenge only leads to more hate and helps the problem in spouts. Being a victim of war can happen in the real world and being burdened by the loss made from war can mean you are lost in the cycle. Violence so often begets violence. Victims respond with revenge only to inspire seemingly endless cycles of retaliation. Conflicts between nations, between ethnic groups, between strangers, and between family members, differ in so many ways and yet often share the same dynamic. The cycle of hatred is a very real observation on Kishimoto’s part, and there are living examples of it now. After Osama Bin Laden was killed in 2011, his son was calling for jihadists to take revenge on the USA.
To know true pain:
“Even innocent foolish children will grow up in the face of pain, until their thoughts and beliefs are the same as their doubts” — Pain
Most people were raised in families where they were taught that “they must always show blind and unconditional loyalty to their guardians , and two their other immediate relatives.” Yeah, that sounds all fine and dandy, but what happens when your guardians are abusive? What happens when all you’ve ever known from those who you were supposed to trust and love first and foremost, was a slew of narcissistic gaslighting, emotional, verbal and physical abuse?
Yes, It’s easy to see why such things would be detrimental to a person’s spiritual and mental wellbeing, and the obvious solution would be to get away, as far and as fast as possible. But what happens when you’ve been pre-conditioned and programmed by your most poisonous abusers, to believe that you owe them special privileges because “they are your family.”
In my opinion; that is where the cycle of pain and hatred originate from, and why it continues — From a false notion that you somehow owe blind loyalty and devotion to those who gave your soul a temporary meat-sack to incarnate in. A false notion that has been perpetuated by outdated religions, for far too long, and has indirectly created more “bad apples” than not. A cycle that needs to End; once and for-all! If how you’re being treated does not resonate with who you are internally, and your personal needs, then I would strongly urge you to walk away, and be part of the solution that stops the cycle of pain, once and for all!
Remember that “family is not always the meat-group that you were born to; genuine families are those who you resonate with on a soul level and who support you instead of break you down and make you miserable. Those who do try to break you down for their own selfish gain are human parasites, Not family.” — if you have been a victim of this sort of insidious abuse; take that pain and anger you feel, and allow it propel you forward to the happier, healthier and more complete life that you’ve always deserved! After all, mold can and does spread to the other apples if exposed to for too long, so don’t waste your time on rotten apples because the next thing you know; you’ll be rotten, too. Instead, protect your internal light, and run!
Life’s greatest lessons:
“Sometimes you must hurt in order to know, fall in order to grow, lose in order to gain because life’s greatest lessons are learned through pain.” — Pain
A lot of us tend to see pain as a negative experience and it is our desire to avoid pain as much as possible, and understandably so. But unfortunately, pain is an inevitable consequence of life and we have to deal with whether we like it or not. When it eventually befalls us, we should try as much as possible to turn it into a positive experience. Understanding the positive aspects of experiencing pain can help us do this better.
“Feel the pain till it hurts no more” — William Shakespeare
You may be wondering, what is so positive about pain? What is she talking about? Well for one, there is strength that you gain from pain once it has subsided. Once the initial shock of the pain has passed you are able to see what you have learned from it and how it has made you a more resilient individual. For example, when you have fallen sick don’t your eyes suddenly open up to all the blessings you have before you? Don’t you suddenly realize what all the important things in life are?
That was just but an example of how pain can have a positive result. Physical pain, however, can always go away, unlike emotional/mental pain, which may linger for a lifetime if not handled correctly. One way to handle this kind of pain is to change your perspective of it. Emotional/mental pain has the capacity to wear you down because your mind controls everything that you do.
1.Pain makes you stronger
The painful experiences you encounter in the course of your life are a reminder of how bad things can get, especially when you hit rock bottom. Pain wards off pride, and we all know pride comes before a fall. Your thoughts have the capacity to put you in a prison and incapacitate you. Although this may sound extreme, I think it is necessary for any person’s growth, that they hit rock bottom, whatever that is to them, in order to become as strong as they can possibly be, in order to find out what they are really made of.
2.Pain teaches you humility
Human beings have a habit of always wanting to feel special, like their own life somehow has more meaning than that of others. But when you have experienced pain you understand that we all face the same fears, fight the same fights, suffer the same pains, we’re all in this great war together…life.
This awareness keeps you centered, humble, and even empathetic to the pains of other people. This new found humility enables you to keep away from situations based solely on your pride because you understand that, that same pride will lead you into circumstances that will cause you or someone else pain. We understand that pride is a dangerous, unnecessary, and expensive trait and that humility is much more gracious.
3.Pain teaches you empathy
Pain gives us a greater capacity for compassion, love, and empathy. Pain brings you closer to others because you can empathize with what another person is feeling when they are in distress. Experiencing pain brings us to the awareness that we are not exempt to it and it is what will drive you to give some of your money to that beggar on the sidewalk or to that singer by the corner. You realize that, that could be you and that there is really no special reason you have been exempted from another person’s misfortune.
Similarly, the pain that we have experienced gives us a unique understanding and wisdom that enables us to help other people cope with their own pain. The people who give the best advice have gone through the worst.
A simple ‘I understand you’, ‘I feel you’, or ‘I understand how you feel’ doesn’t cut it. Because you cannot really understand how a person in pain feels unless you have experienced the same kind of pain. For example, if you have ever lost a loved one you would be able to give a friend who’s going through the same support that goes beyond repeating empty phrases and clichés.
4.Pain positions us for success
The strength and resilience that results from pain is a big contributing factor to your future success. You have been through hell and back, what is a simple job application rejection? What is a minor failed investment?
That is what pain does to you; it leaves you tougher and ready to face any challenge. It proves to you that you can overcome just about any obstacle. You are no longer fragile, you don’t just give up, and that kind of persistence leads you to success eventually.
On the path towards success, there will be many obstacles and there are many factors that will make you stronger than you are now, but one of the biggest factors is pain.
5.Pain builds character
We all have a character; it may not be what we would like it to be yet… or maybe it could be, it depends on the individual. Regardless, pain tests your character and demonstrates to you either that your character is developed or that it could use a little bit of work. Learn to view any pain that comes your way as a test of your character and even if you fail the test you can always use that lesson as a to improve your character.
Pain also serves as an indicator of your strengths and weaknesses. Pain gives you self-knowledge and self-awareness that brings you to your own attention, highlighting traits in you that need some improvement, promoting profound inner growth. Life is a series of tests and every time you get an opportunity to improve on your character and ready yourself for the next test, that’s a positive experience.
6.Pain makes you adaptable
I’m sure you will agree that life is quite unpredictable for any rigid plans right? When you have experienced pain, for example, the pain of failure, you stop predicting things will go exactly as expected and learn to readjust your plans and strategies when things go ‘wrong’ as opposed to getting discouraged because they didn’t work out how you had planned them to.
In fact, sometimes things will often work out even better when you are forced to readjust your plans, you learn that the gifts that life hands us are not always wrapped how you would expect them to be. With such a positive attitude you begin to perceive life’s unpredictability as interesting and spontaneous rather than inhibiting, you become an expert at readjusting in any situation and making the best out of it.
I won’t sit here and try to convince you that if things don’t work out they just ‘weren’t meant to be’ because I don’t believe in destiny or fate.
What I do believe in, however, is that if you really want something you should fight for it, you should have a plan and if in any case your initial plan is compromised, then adapt, re-strategize…find another route to reach your intended destination. Painful experiences will instill in you the ability to adapt when things don’t go exactly according to plan and to me, this is a very strong quality to possess because it keeps hope alive, you will never despair, you will truly be defeated
The purpose of this article is not to tell you to encourage pain or go about looking for it… the purpose of the article is to bring you to the realization that pain is inevitable and that you are better off learning how to perceive it better instead of letting it overwhelm you. Instead of letting pain consume you and destroy you, you should learn how to let it change you for the better and make you a better person.
Pain can teach you a lot, it even makes you understand what happiness is and not to take it for granted.
