Pain Free Society

In reading Thriving In A Difficult Marriage, I read this comment, Unfortunately, we live in a culture that has the lowest tolerance for pain of any in history. Wow!  That makes so much sense why our society is such a mess!

People don't want to feel any pain so when they feel any physical pain whatsoever, they pop a pill. When they feel any pain emotionally, they try to deaden it with alcohol or drugs. They eat whatever they want, sleeping hardly at all, and barely getting enough exercise. They don't count the cost of what the drugs and lack of nutrition may cause in the future. They want immediate relief and pleasure NOW!

We have become a society of short term gain for long term pain. We won't do what it takes to be healthy now by eating right and exercising, but instead eat and do whatever we want then expect a free medical system to take care of us when we are suffering from our own lack of self control and discipline.

If people aren't happy in their marriage or if it isn't turning out like they thought it would, they get out. They divorce. {The exception being physical abuse.}  They don't want to put up with any pain, so they think leaving will get rid of the pain not realizing the pain the children and society will suffer from divorce.  Our society is great at running from pain.

If I swat my child's bottom and cause some pain or flick their cheek when they are nursing to stop them from biting me, I am told I am abusing my child. It matters not at all that this generation that isn't getting spanked is a much more undisciplined generation than prior generations that were spanked.  We refuse to spank our children and cause a small amount of pain, so they grow up to be undisciplined and rebellious.   

We are raising a generation of able-bodied people that feel entitled to money, food, and health care without working hard for it because, heaven forbid, they experience some pain that would motivate them to get out there and find work wherever they could and work for money to pay for food and medical care and not expect others to pay their way.

We give people 99 weeks of unemployment, so they have money for food and other things giving them no motivation to find work.  We end up with millions of unemployed people unmotivated to find work putting more and more strain on our working class and fragile economy.

Pain is not a bad thing! It is not sin and it is not evil. It is a great teacher. We have gone so far away from allowing pain that we are destroying our society with ill health, divorce, rebellious children, and an entitlement mentality nation. No pain, no gain!

There will never be perfection on this earth. Heaven will be pain free when we are all perfect but down here we are far from perfect and need pain to learn.  Pain develops character and many other good things like persistence and discipline. So don't be afraid of pain. Allow it to make you a better, more faithful, more hard working, and more disciplined person. 

How about short term pain for long term gain?

All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby, [even the fruit] of righteousness. 

Hebrews 12:11