We’re all drive by the desire to avoid pain and get more pleasure. It’s at the base of all our behavior.
“All human have the desire for certainty that they can avoid pain and gain pleasure.”
– Tim Robbins
Avoiding pain and gaining pleasure can become something that rules your life. When it’s the case, you could end up feeling out of control. Or you could end up with a maniacal control on your life. As in everything, the middle path is always the better way.
Let’s say you got burned by the oven when you were 6 years old. That experience will be printed in your memory. If you let it grow, you could end up never be able to cook anything using an oven. But, understanding that you have to be careful and use the oven wisely, you can go over that bad memory and cook with it. Doing so will ask that you do some work on yourself and find the guts to overcome your fear of the pain.
Pain is a warning. It has to show you that you need to make some changes.
From Mage Mind 