A Short History of Human Pain:
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== A Short History of Human Pain ==
== A Short History of Human Pain ==
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Chapter One: A Short History of Human Pain
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Pain has existed throughout the human experience which is probably why the first caveman was named Ugh
.
This was what he said every time he stubbed his toe on
a
rock
,
or missed his dinner
,
both events that happened to him rather often
.
Okay
,
enough with the jokes
.
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Pain is what we feel when something we don't like is happening to us
,
either physically or psychologically
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Does this mean we have to increase our control until life is 100% good? Obviously
,
impossible although many of us try
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How about 90% good and 10% not good? Okay
,
but that 10% not good would sure stand out
.
50/50? Better--still not good enough
.
People don't like pain but up it pops
,
anyway
.
We are stuck with it and need to find solutions on the fly
.
We need the skills to deal with pain as efficiently as possible
.
This has always been true
.
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Cave people were often, perhaps nearly always
,
uncomfortable and discomfort has a way of crossing the line to pain
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The result
,
based on Ugh's toe experiences was shoes
,
moving the rocks off the path and
,
ultimately
,
pavement
.
His inability to count on running down a rabbit resulted
in
rabbit-keeping
,
vegetable gardening and supermarkets
.
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From this point of view
,
pain is itself a good thing. Without discomfort we would still be
in
caves or perhaps even hanging out of trees. Why bother with change if nothing is bugging you? We all hate change if we are comfortable.
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Another thing is that one woman's pain is another woman's happy times. I once read about an elderly Chinese villager who moved to the USA to be with her daughter who was
,
I think, a physicist
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The old lady immediately took over caring for the apartment and cooking delicious meals. Her daughter showed off the laundry room and demonstrated the working of the washer and dryer. "I'm so glad you won't need to wash our clothes by hand!"
,
she told her mom.
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The old lady put with this nonsense for a few days, then rebelled. For the rest of her days, she washed all the clothes in the bathtub. Her explanation? "What else do I have to do?"
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We also learn to change our attitude towards pain and discomfort as we mature. Babies yell their heads off
at
the first twinge of hunger
.
"Feed me or else!" is their message
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Or else what? "I'll scream louder until you do
.
" This work well for most babies
,
at least for awhile
.
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As they grow, babies must inevitably learn to behave more patiently and begin to tolerate a bit of discomfort here and there
.
As we approach adulthood, we realize our life is our own. Nobody is going to do it for us. We consider out values and we set goals. How to reach them efficiently becomes important to us. Yes, I have to finish writing this report. Now, how can I do that on time, up to standard, and not too uncomfortably?
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Another way of looking
at
pain, is purely as a nervous sensation. It comes when nerves are hit and the perception of pain registers in the body and brain
.
We've all heard of wounded soldiers who didn't feel
a
thing for hours afterwards
.
If we lie in our hammock, deeply focused on an interesting magazine, perhaps listening to music, we may not feel the mosquitoes bite
.
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One early response to pain was to get right into it
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The Iroquois were possibly the fiercest, most powerful confederation of tribes in what is now the US and Canada
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They loved dishing out pain and their greatest pride was their unparallalled ability to endure it. To them, nothing was better in life than an agonizing death.
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This, of course, scared the pants off early settlers and soldiers. Missionaries had to pretty darn committed to go anywhere near Iroquois territory. Most other Indian tribes tended to head for the hills. xxx what to call Indians in the US?
== Is Pain Gone in the 21st Century? ==
== Is Pain Gone in the 21st Century? ==