Growing through pain
Prophets, saints, holy people all had their share of pain and sorrows. Why would people so close to divinity go through this unless there was some merit in it? The 12th century Sufi poet said: “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” In other words, No wound, no light! When you are hurt, your heart and soul is open to receive the light of wisdom and insights.
Knowing how to find sense and meaning in tragedy is an important skill for anyone. Begin learning by going back in your life and recalling how you reacted to your own past pain and sorrows, and how some of your friends, family or colleagues reacted to theirs. You will notice positive and negative responses. Learn from them— noticing which ones were helpful, and which ones caused sadness or stress — and adapt them to work should another such circumstance arise in your life.
The Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran said: “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.”
So what can pain and sorrow help you learn?
1. The impermanence of life – Nothing remains the same. The bad and the good…everything eventually changes. Day ends in night, pleasure changes into pain, sorrow into joy. Life exists in a polarity and the presence of one lends meaning to the other. So our pain can teach us to treat life with equanimity and patience and be ready to respond to change.
2. Don’t postpone the important – In times of sorrow, we are forced to get out of our comfort zone and deal with all that we have been postponing; the dreams we haven’t achieved, the experiences we haven’t lived, the deep relationships we haven’t nurtured. We realise that present moment is all there is. The past is no more and future will rise out of our present moment. So pain forces us to get serious about what’s important, what’s meaningful. We realise that all the opportunities, resources, we have today might not be there tomorrow. And if we waste yet another day, we might end up filling our tomorrow with regret.
3. Clear the clutter – While the times are good, we are too busy enjoying life and hardly notice needless clutter we have accumulated in life. But when we are confronted by pain or challenges, we are forced to strip away all that is unnecessary and holding us back. This includes wasteful activities, addictions, unhealthy relationships, possessions. Pain opens up our eyes to all that no longer serves us, helping us appreciate and value all that is true and meaningful.
4. Experience the interconnectedness of life – Through pain, we are imbued with understanding that at the core we are all interconnected and the actions of one impact the other. Having experienced pain ourselves, we can now see the suffering in others, helping us evolve as beings with compassion and wisdom.
5. Reveal inner strength – Challenges and obstacles help us discover our innate strength. It is only in pain, that we look inward and test who we truly are. We focus on what we can offer to life. We get one step closer to discovering who we truly are.
By Azim Jamal Visit blog.corporatesufi.com
