In today’s world, where pain and suffering are often seen as something to be avoided at any cost, the idea of the “paradox of pain” offers a different view.

The paradox is that it is precisely through feeling pain that we can find a way towards a deeper understanding of ourselves, of the world around us and, ultimately, towards healing.

In the context of today’s challenges – from personal life crises to global catastrophes such as war, which leaves deep wounds in many souls – this idea takes on particular relevance.

We look for ways to avoid pain, sometimes without even realising that, in running from it, we lose the chance to heal our wounds.

The paradox is that actively avoiding pain can deepen our inner injuries.

Meeting pain, counterintuitive as that may seem, opens the door to healing.

Acknowledging and accepting pain, opening our hearts to the very experiences we would most like to avoid, can give us the key to understanding the deeper causes of our suffering and show us the way to move through it.