FREE THINKING:
EXPLORE THE REALMS OF KNOWLEDGE

What is pain? It can begin when the nervous system warns the brain that something is wrong. A cut, an injury, illness or old age may cause it. Yet pain is more than a signal—it is a personal experience.

The International Association for the Study of Pain defines it as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage.” It also says pain is always personal and shaped by biological, psychological and social factors.

Philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein explored this difficulty through his “beetle in the box” example. Imagine that everyone has a box, but nobody can look inside anyone else’s. In the same way, I can describe my pain, but I cannot place the feeling itself into another person’s mind.

That should make us careful when judging people. Two people may have similar injuries but experience them differently. Instead of comparing suffering, we can listen, believe what a person tells us and respond with kindness.