Man's suffering is relative

 Lights out Alice!

“A man's suffering is similar to the behavior of gas. If a certain quantity of gas is pumped into an empty chamber, it will fill the chamber completely and evenly, no matter how big the chamber. Thus suffering completely fills the human soul and conscious mind, no matter whether the suffering is great or little. Therefore the 'size' of human suffering is absolutely relative." - Viktor Frankl, Man's search for meaning

How difficult it must be to measure pain in an absolute scale or even put it in relative comparison. Pain requires background context, understanding of the underlying factors, mitigating circumstances, external environment and particularly the person's understanding and quantification of it. What is painful for one maybe joyous for another. What is soul-shattering for one might just be another Tuesday for another.

How do I justify, quantify or bucket how I am feeling. Since regardless of the type of pain, one finds themselves being absorbed by that painful thought. Does quantification only mean physical, uninhibited by emotional state? What if emotional state masks or amplifies the physical? What about previous exposure that leads to either heightened tolerance or reduced willingness to go through the same?

Update: 24 hours later: Coming to the context that prompted this line of thought, I had been suffering from wisdom tooth pain yesterday and although the pain was severe and all consuming, I didn't think it to be very bad. Just that I couldn't eat, chew or speak properly. Then the swelling became so bad that It was hard to close or open my mouth without my upper wisdom teeth piercing against the swollen area. Today there was a lot of pus that came out and after that there has been some relief. What was relevant to the above para was the fact that the doctor thought that the pain must be really bad and that given the amount of swelling, it should be hurting a lot more than it actually was. Similarly, another person told me that the headaches are splitting. I did have headaches, but not splitting ones. 

I don't know why, but I like these moments of pain. It gives me clarity. It reminds me that I am far too entitled and living a cushioned life. It reminds me that just because I am able to perform when the going is easy doesn't mean that I can perform when the real struggle begins and when winners are able to execute, regardless of their circumstance. I don't refer to winners as something that is about materialistic achievement but more towards a person who is extracting the most out of life. 

Post pain, when the relief comes, the transparency of motivation and relevant goals that is there in front of me is unparalleled and just a taste of nirvana. A clarity that one keeps searching for but never finds. A willingness and motivation that however hard you try, you can never reach in everyday life.

Lights out Alice!