Q. It is often said that“ PAIN is the ultimate teacher!” Is that accurate? How can that be?
Pain: Ah yes! Believe it or not— it is me— PAIN which can be a teacher and a coach and— get this— a mentor! People learn lessons from me about limits and boundaries and even their very own human condition. I make people think- think about getting to someone to get help or to re-assess their priorities or to finally come to an understanding of empathy for others. Some of what I teach can be difficult and harsh. And not all emerge from that experience unscathed.
Q. It seems that you’ re quite unpopular. Is there anything positive we should know about you?
Pain: Have you heard“ No pain, no gain?” That’ s my own catchphrase. I created and trademarked it years ago. My PR team thought it would help people see my good side. I get a really bad rap, but not every experience with me is a bad thing. I can actually be quite good in some situations. Children need to experience me in different ways to learn to protect themselves as they grow up. Athletes need to experience me to build muscle, strength and conditioning. Mothers need to experience me as they give birth. I often provide a little warning to take it easy or see your doctor before I get worse. And people are often entertained by watching someone else experience me, especially in my online videos that have millions of views.
Last Q. Pain, what do you want trial lawyers to understand before they stand up in front of a jury and speak about you?
Pain: Do not make me small. That is what the defense wants. They want me reduced to a number, a scale, a complaint, a line in a medical record. I am more than that. I am the sleepless night. I am the missed walk. I am the hand that will not grip, the back that will not bend, the neck that will not turn, the child who cannot be lifted, the work that cannot be done, the life that now has to be negotiated with me every day.
If you are going to speak about me to a jury, know me first. Study me. Document me. Separate me from suffering, anguish, fear, worry, and loss— but understand how closely I live beside them. Do not exaggerate me. You do not need to. Just prove where I came from, how I arrived, how long I stayed, and what I took.
This article is the first chapter of an upcoming book entitled Pain: An Autobiography to be published Fall 2027.
Images are courtesy of fox-ae. com