. . . pain is the root of knowledge. —Simone Weil—
We don’t want pain in our lives. We dread the situations we anticipate will be painful. We probably even pray to be spared all painful experiences. But they come anyway, at times in profusion. And we not only survive the pain, we profit from it.
It seems that pain stretches us to our limits, generally forcing us to look for guidance from others, and it pushes us to consider new choices in our present situation. Pain is our common denominator as women,
as members of the human family. It softens us to one another. It fosters empathy. It helps us to reach out and realize our need for one another.New knowledge, new awareness, are additional benefits of accepting, rather than denying, the pain that accompanies life. This journey that we’re on is moving us further and further along the path of enlightenment. We can consider that each problem, each crisis, is our necessary preparation for moving another step down the road. I learn out of necessity. And when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.