Iona Winter

I am reminded of pain, by way of my body today. I don’t mean the pain you get from banging an elbow on the car door. I’m referring to other kinds of pain, which collect within us and are often left unattended.

Physical pain is perhaps more visible, and seen as ‘treatable’ in our scientific world. Yet it’s no surprise (to me), when people have ‘unexplained’ physical manifestations of pain. Science is relatively new in terms of our evolution, and I reckon there’s a great deal of old knowledge we seem to have forgotten.

Emotional pain is less visible, and yet is often more pathologised. But how can science actually quantify an emotion? My emotions are unique to me, and while my tears might look the same as another person’s tears, the reasons for feeling emotional pain are probably not the same.

And spiritual pain? My sense is that we are often disconnected from wairua (spirit), which can be both painful and dislocating. Taking this a step further, I reckon most of us also carry a lineage of unresolved pain from those who’ve gone before us.

But there’s also the environment to consider. We ALL know about the pain Papatūānuku (Mother Earth) is feeling…and like our dear selves, she too is often ignored. So why don’t we listen more?

My hunch is that we’ve trained ourselves NOT to pay attention, to the information our bodies give us. We’d probably be a more healthy bunch if we listened a bit more, instead of shutting off pain (in all it’s forms) by squashing it down into a dark recess somewhere.

All cultures (as far back as I’ve researched) did this one thing. They listened. To everything. AND everything is interconnected, in my opinion. I cannot separate out my mind from my body, my spirit, or my environment. I just can’t.

So, listen up people. Maybe don’t push yourself to go to the gym if you have an injury today—stay at home and rest. And don’t tell yourself to shut up, if you’ve got something important to say. Before you ignore the pain in your neck, why not think about what has caused you to feel stressed—before you pop a painkiller in your mouth. AND don’t deny yourself a moment to enjoy this beautiful planet we live on.