Pain and gain

Moin Uddin

Kathmandu

Pain, huh? Yes pain. What comes into your mind when you think about pain? Can pain be enjoyed? There may be various answers to this question, and many people may be wondering how pain can be enjoyed. Aren’t you? I have a friend who suffers a lot from migraines. For the last eight years, he has been afflicted with this condition, and it has been only six years since

the doctor diagnosed it. So, what is a migraine? Though he told me many things regarding it, I turned the pages of the Oxford dictionary and found out that it is “a very severe type of headache which often makes a person feel sick and have difficulty in seeing”.

I feel lucky to have him as my friend.

He is inspiring. He is funny. He is a genius in his own way. While having a conversation with him, I came to know about his migraines. He told me that they feel like devastating volcanos erupting. He also said that he feels like someone is cutting his head with an axe. But later, he said that he enjoyed it. He had started taking pleasure in the pain. Isn’t that wonderful?

Taking pleasure in pain is an art which he has cultivated within himself. So, are there any medical treatments to cure migraine? I asked him and you know what he said? “I’ve been to numerous doctors and have had many X-rays done. Many kinds of drugs have been prescribed but the pain only slows down when taking the medicines. It gradually comes back when the medicine starts losing its power. He said one good thing which I think everybody should follow, “You only cultivate pain when you think of pain.” I think he is right. He told me that we are the masters and decide whether to suffer a lot from pain or slow it down and control it.

I asked him whether the migraine had affected his daily life. And he said, “Yes, for some period, it hampers your life but it’s normal. Look at me, I am healthy. I do my work. I attend Spanish classes. I do graphic designing and am attending classes at college too.” I smiled. People who are suffering from migraine should learn that life is not harsh on you but you are hurting yourself by thinking that life is miserable.

This sort of negative attitude about yourself should be changed immediately to the positive. Instead, go and explore your life. Forget pain and remember that you are the master of yourself and do whatever you like. But take responsibility for the things you do. You can do everything like all the people do.

Published in the newspaper The Kathmandu Post (TKP) on  25-09-2013 09:08