"Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before, how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way," --Isak Dinesen
I know that the title may seem a bit alarming. Who would want to go through pain and suffering? To answer that, we all do. There are certain kinds of pain that we would define as worthy of suffering for because in the end it is beneficial. One example that comes to mind is child birth. Last weekend when my aunt came to my house for the Lunar New Year she brought along her new 2 month old daughter Katy. I for one have never really been a fan of children or even babies for that matter but as I saw her glimpse upward in wonder of the new world I realised something. Sure, the process of creating a child isn't painful but what comes after being impregnated can be. Carrying the child for months and months, giving up your life to make sure the one growing in you is okay. As my aunt's roots grew out from her frequently coloured hair, the look of her throat as she took a dry swallow as she watched others drink alcohol while she couldn't and her 00 jeans rapidly reaching a 14, I began to feel a bit of sympathy toward her as a defeated look came over her face being unable to buy or live the same way she use to. Literally, everything changes. Money goes toward different things, day to day activities revolve around others. Having children is consuming, and causes you to consume way more then you usually do too.
However, with all of that being said, when the baby came out it was like none of that mattered. It was worth the excruciatingly painful contractions as Oxytocin was released more and more, doubling the pain each time until the baby was out. In the moment where the parent holds their child for the very first time will never cease to amaze me. I always personally thought the whole idea of life was weird. We almost create life out of a spec and it slowly just grows within you, extracting parts of you and eventually comes out and grows just as big. The thought of life growing within me always gave me chills but truly is a miracle and wonder of this world in my eyes. The baby really becomes apart of you, and I feel as if it reflects who you are as well as you as a parent put a lot into how they grow up to be. So despite the fact that it may seem like your surrender your whole self for your child, I think in reality the energy and sense of self is going toward it to help it flourish and grow. So the realisation becomes that their first words outweigh the pain of the months of wearing maternity clothes. Their first steps outweigh all the things you couldn't do while pregnant. Their eager face on the first day of school and the warm proud feeling you get outweighs the unbelievable pain you went through to push the baby out. Their love, the love that they return to you in their high pitched innocent voice becomes worth all of that ten times over.
This is just one example, of pain and suffering that turns to benefit and perhaps in another blog post I'll touch on others but let's just leave this with a beautiful miracle for now. To wrap this up, I believe there is pain worth suffering, I truly do. Like child birth, the most wonderful thing comes out of all those long nights and sacrifices- life itself. So what I leave you is with, what could ever be worth more than life?
 |
| My cousin Katy at around 1 month old. |
 |
| Rafiki from the Lion King showing everyone the miracle of life. |
Han Van
3 comments:
Hello Han.
Your first two posts were great. I can see clearly where you are heading with them and that you are emphasizing that pain has meaning. Nothing illustrates that better than labour and the result!
I loved the layout of your blog - the colours and the binder background give it almost a three dimensional look.
For future posts you might want to consider (if you run out of ideas) how pain in other contexts brings out greatness. I read an essay once titled "When Pain Engenders Greatness" and it was about how Canada has not gone through the historical turmoils of Europe and some of the other nations who have suffered to be great. They have beautiful architecture and art which reflects the thousands of years of historical pain.
Good work Han and I look forward to your postings. :) Ms. Morton
Some minor errors as you write, but the enthusiasm is clearly there!
Thank you for your input and feedback Ms.Morton! The essay you suggested sounds very interesting and I'll be sure to look into it. I really enjoy when artists and architectures give meaning to the buildings and their works by adding their own stories to what they create. Also, I'll be sure to make sure to look over my posts more carefully before posting them. Thanks again! :)
Han, this post is stronger than the first. It's interesting to read your perspective on the sacrifice and pain that rearing a child brings, and the love that results from the effort.
Have you ever had a personal experience where suffering lead to growth? A personal anecdote or example might deepen your thinking even more.
I like the photos. Your cousin is adorable.
Post a Comment