A Critique of Culture
Yancey rightly questions our culture's false perceptions regarding pain, "Not only is pain useful as a warning - it may also be an essential element in our richest experiences....We are told that pain is the antithesis of pleasure....Our distorted viewpoint helps foster the myth that pain and pleasure are diametrically opposed: our life styles murmur it to us every day" (41-2).
This is a tough pill to swallow, yet we must contend with the apparent opposing worldviews. Though not always obvious, our culture and the societies in which we live - both rightly and wrongly - tell us that pain is "bad" - "Have a sore back? Take some Aleve." Americans, including myself, tend to conceptualize pain as something that must be mastered with technology (42). Our culture tends to remove us from the natural cycle of pain and death in the animal world - we experience these things vicariously through alternative media outlets like television, movies, magazines, the internet, and books. This kind of vicarious living produces numbness. We can become numb to the natural rhythms of creation. Yancey says, "It is too easy for us to perceive the sensations of life as something which must be done to us. We don't see pleasure as something we reach out for and actively attain after struggle. If it involves pain, we abandon the search" (43).
"On a higher level," Yancey continues, "most worthwhile human accomplishments involve a long history of struggle...The pleasure after the pain absorbs it...Jesus used childbirth as an analogy: nine months of waiting, intense labor, then absolute ecstasy (John 16:21)" (47).
Yancey closes this section with this thought, "Pain cannot be extracted from life's experiences and roundly condemned. A knee-jerk reaction against God for allowing pain is futile [see Job]...and often it is a necessary step to pleasure and fulfillment" (49).
I like that - "Pain is a necessary step to pleasure and fulfillment." Anything worth doing or anything worth being or attaining will ultimately cost you something of tremendous value. It requires investment and sacrifice [among other things]. Childbirth is just one example. Another example are athletes who are dedicated to their sports and put the time, energy, and training in order to compete at a high level.
I don't think that we need to necessarily "embrace" or "encourage" pain - but we do need to recognize that without pain we don't really know what pleasure is. Pain - though uncomfortable for us to experience - is necessary to living a fulfilled life.
More to come...
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, July 02, 2009
where is God when it hurts - part three
Pain - the "gift" that some don't have
In 2 Kings 5, we encounter a charasmatic hero from Aram named Naaman. Naaman was a commander in the army of the king of Aram. Yet despite his military prowess - Naaman was a leper. The word "leprosy" probably conjures up all kinds of mental pictures ranging from snow-white skin peeling to limbs falling off. Nevertheless, movies largely have shaped the way we view leprosy, or Hansen's disease, mostly in unhelpful or unrealistic ways.
Hansen's Disease
Largely what we see of those who suffer from this cruel disease is the effect of something much deeper and more sinister. Hansen's disease (HD) is an anestheic which numbs the pain cells of the hands, feet, nose, ears, and eyes. While most diseases are feared because of their pain, this disease is disastrous because of the lack of pain associated with it. Current research has shown that in 99% of cases, HD only numbs the extremities. So how does decay happen? Well, if the nerve cells are destroyed in HD patients, then actions such as removing a hot pan from the oven with a bare hand would not cause pain - but a burn or hand blister would still be evidenced. Yancey tells a story of a time when a HD doctor tried to open a rusty storeroom lock, but it would not give. A patient, who he describes as undersized, malnourshed 10-year old, approached and offered to unlock the padlock. the boy took the key and with a quick jerk he turned the key in the lock. The doctor was amazed. But upon closer inspection, the doctor discovered that the difficult act of turning the key gashed one of the boy's fingers open - exposing his bone below. Despite the depth of the wound, the boy experienced no pain.
"These people can undergo surgery without anesthesia, and they can impress their friends with painless feats...but their lives are marked with danger" (38). Those who suffer from HD "should make all of us discard the common notion that pain is an unpleasantness to be avoided at all costs...More than anything, it [pain] frees us to enjoy normalcy on this planet" (39). Without pain, Yancey continues, "we would lead unbalanced, paranoid lives, encountering unknown dangers, never confident that we weren't destroying ourselves" (39).
A Thought
Though the Bible describes Naaman as a leper - that was a fairly common word used to describe anyone who had any kind of skin disease. Maybe Naaman had what we call Hansen's Disease today or perhaps he had a really bad rash - we don't know. Had Naaman been an Israelite, he would have been relegated to the outskirts [or margins] of society where contact with "the diseased" was forbidden. What a way to go through life - to never be allowed to experience relationship with other human beigns except perhaps with others who have a skin disease as well. We were all created to experience relationship in this life and to experience it to the fullest. Can you imagine life without being able to feel the grass between your toes or feel the soft touch of a loved one's hand?
More to come....
In 2 Kings 5, we encounter a charasmatic hero from Aram named Naaman. Naaman was a commander in the army of the king of Aram. Yet despite his military prowess - Naaman was a leper. The word "leprosy" probably conjures up all kinds of mental pictures ranging from snow-white skin peeling to limbs falling off. Nevertheless, movies largely have shaped the way we view leprosy, or Hansen's disease, mostly in unhelpful or unrealistic ways.
Hansen's Disease
Largely what we see of those who suffer from this cruel disease is the effect of something much deeper and more sinister. Hansen's disease (HD) is an anestheic which numbs the pain cells of the hands, feet, nose, ears, and eyes. While most diseases are feared because of their pain, this disease is disastrous because of the lack of pain associated with it. Current research has shown that in 99% of cases, HD only numbs the extremities. So how does decay happen? Well, if the nerve cells are destroyed in HD patients, then actions such as removing a hot pan from the oven with a bare hand would not cause pain - but a burn or hand blister would still be evidenced. Yancey tells a story of a time when a HD doctor tried to open a rusty storeroom lock, but it would not give. A patient, who he describes as undersized, malnourshed 10-year old, approached and offered to unlock the padlock. the boy took the key and with a quick jerk he turned the key in the lock. The doctor was amazed. But upon closer inspection, the doctor discovered that the difficult act of turning the key gashed one of the boy's fingers open - exposing his bone below. Despite the depth of the wound, the boy experienced no pain.
"These people can undergo surgery without anesthesia, and they can impress their friends with painless feats...but their lives are marked with danger" (38). Those who suffer from HD "should make all of us discard the common notion that pain is an unpleasantness to be avoided at all costs...More than anything, it [pain] frees us to enjoy normalcy on this planet" (39). Without pain, Yancey continues, "we would lead unbalanced, paranoid lives, encountering unknown dangers, never confident that we weren't destroying ourselves" (39).
A Thought
Though the Bible describes Naaman as a leper - that was a fairly common word used to describe anyone who had any kind of skin disease. Maybe Naaman had what we call Hansen's Disease today or perhaps he had a really bad rash - we don't know. Had Naaman been an Israelite, he would have been relegated to the outskirts [or margins] of society where contact with "the diseased" was forbidden. What a way to go through life - to never be allowed to experience relationship with other human beigns except perhaps with others who have a skin disease as well. We were all created to experience relationship in this life and to experience it to the fullest. Can you imagine life without being able to feel the grass between your toes or feel the soft touch of a loved one's hand?
More to come....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)