The belief
Pain and suffering, in the end, are growth: evolution, and more strength. It shows up everywhere, from birth on. At the gym we literally tear our muscles so they rebuild stronger.
Where it comes from
I wrote it down on my 40th birthday, but I’d been circling it for years. In 2019 I wrote that hard or extensive labor almost always turns into something positive, even when failing. Forty years in, the hardest stretches of my life are also the ones that made me who I like being.
How it shows up for me
When something hurts, I try to ask what it’s building, not only how to make it stop.
This one needs care, and I’m careful with it. Not all suffering is useful, and nobody should be told their pain is “good for them” while they’re in it. I believe it about my own pain, looking back. I try not to preach it at anyone else’s.