Suffering is optional

Let’s assume you are training for the marathon, half-marathon or walkathon next February. You exercise anywhere from three to 13 times per week (twice per day and once on Sundays) and everyone who does not train thinks you’re off your head.

Why you voluntarily go out and “punish” yourself in regular training sessions is something they simply cannot comprehend.

Family members see the blisters on your toes, perhaps even one or two black toenails.

Friends often hear you mention a tight hamstring, a sore calf muscle or maybe an ankle twisted getting down awkwardly from a kerb.

They all shake their heads completely unable to understand why you persist in such a pursuit.

What they do not perceive is succinctly summed up in one phrase; pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

Friends and family see the physical evidence of what they associate with pain (the blisters) and assume you must be suffering in some way because of them.

Yet, despite what they would like to think, pain and suffering are not two words for the same term.

Pain can occur without suffering and – if you could only explain it to them – that is the case here.

You gladly tolerate the minor aches and pains associated with your exercise because of the hugely positive physical and psychological effects that come along with them.

You do not feel you are suffering, returning home after a satisfying one or two-hour jog or walk in the countryside. Yes, you may feel the slight pain of a blister or two, or be ravenously hungry and ready to devour anything in the fridge, but you also have a broad grin that won’t leave your face for the rest of the day.

Pain is external, generally created by things out of our control. Something heavy just fell on your foot and, of course, it hurts.

Suffering, on the other hand, is internal and gets triggered by our reaction to the pain. We interpret the pain in a particular way, usually by wishing it hadn’t happened and feeling sorry for ourselves that it happened to us.

Viewing it this way we should be able to see that pain might be unavoidable, but suffering is a choice. And one we can choose not to make.

This feeling of suffering is not triggered when we exercise. Yes, those blisters might be painful, those muscles might be sore, but the walk/run was so utterly enjoyable they were worth it. Usually we simply dismiss the blisters and sore muscles from our minds and decide to go further the following week.

D.H. Lawrence puts it best. His poem, Self-Pity, contains only two lines:

“I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.”

Live fully in each moment. Deal only with what is actually happening around you. To be honest, nothing else really exists. Do not be one of those people who live too much in their own minds, either worrying about what might be coming next or fretting over something that has already taken place.

Suffering? Don’t know what you mean.

M2S

We have over 300 entries for M2S so far and more are coming in, which means we will have another record field this year.

Online registration will close on Monday. At that time any entries for which we have not received the entry fee will be cancelled.

While there is still a limit of 400 runners in the race, any remaining places will be made available at registration at Mdina Gate, one hour before the 8 a.m. start on Sunday, December 20. These places will be made available on a “first-come, first-served” basis.

Be safe out there and enjoy your training.

johnzwalsh@yahoo.com