by Maria Yanicki

Created on: June 23, 2009

Have you ever seen "A Walk to Remember"? Jamie teaches the main character something about pain at some point in the movie, saying: "Without suffering there would be no compassion".

Let`s define compassion, shall we?

Compassion is similiar to empathy, although it is not the same. Empathy is knowing what the other is going through and sympathizing the person for it, while compassion is sympathy for another while they are suffering, accompanied by a desire to rid them of that pain, although they have not gone through it themselves.

How in the world, without pain, would there be no compassion? Compassion is based off of pain. It roots from it. Without the pain, there would be no pain to rid. There would be no one to sympathize over because all their pain is gone. Compassion would not exist then.

Many other emotions spring up from pain. Emotional stress, sadness, sometimes even love can spring from one`s hardships. If you experience hardships and one or more persons are there for you during it, you may form bonds of friendship and possibly love.

If people have no pain, they tend to take things for granted. Nowadays, heat, food, water, and a roof over one`s head can be taken for granted because so many people have them, and they get the impression they always will. This is not always the case.

If you`ve ever seen "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition", you`ll know what I`m talking about. In one episode of this show, I saw a full-fledged family living in a shack, built on a place that was once a garbage site. A shack. The only source of heat was a wood stove (and if the government had gotten rid of wood stoves they wouldn`t have any heat at all), their water is contaminated, they have two children who are autistic, and they have to borrow someone else`s car to drive their children to their doctor`s appointments. They were struggling.

And these people built a new home for them. This family knows the junk and the rubbish they had to go through to get here, but it was all worth it in the end because they won`t take it for granted. I`m pretty sure, two years from now, they`ll say to their children, when they start getting a little selfish (if they do), they`ll be saying: "Just go to your room and reflect on when this house was a shack on a garbage site. Then come back and complain to me." And you can be certain the children will not do the latter.

So you see, pain can spring gratitude, happiness and love in the end. There is good pain, and bad pain. Pain can pay off

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