Which is more powerful: Pleasure or Pain?

Question

If you were to name a time in your life when you were affected by something the most, would it be because that thing hurt you terribly, or made you terribly happy?

Which is more powerful, to you?

Answer 1

I gave birth naturally twice and it was the most amazing pain that would give way to this pleasure that washed over me. Contractions. Women complain about giving birth but for me it was one of the times in my life that made me feel so alive. Pleasure and pain can go hand in hand in the dance of life. I don't find the pain of love that all these men are whining about. Most people learn the most from emotional pain.
Love & Light
Sharon

Answer 2

If it's administered correctly, pain can become an overpowering pleasure. In BDSM, there is a phenomenon known as "sub space".

This is when properly applied pain in a sexual context causes the body to release endorphins that make the subject enter a state of euphoria. The pleasure be so powerful that some people crave it more than intercourse for sexual pleasure.

Since giving pleasure does not cause pain, pain is certainly more powerful.

The greatest pleasure in my life is my son, who was brought into my life through 9 months of suffering and 27 hours of pain on my ex-wifes part. The happiest time of my life was the moment I first saw him and held him in my arms.

One might argue that our pleasure brought her pain, but in the final equation, that pain resulted in an overwhelming joy for both of us.
-SD-

Answer 3

Pleasure because one may feel pleasure while they are in pain. So pleasure has two personalities while pain has one. So I would say, pleasure is the most powerful.

Answer 4

i relate everything to Love...so ufff, what is more powerful?
the happiness of meeting her, or the pain when i was away from her?

i think the pain is more powerful, even if actually it should be happiness. pain for me is always captured in smells/scents. a smell that reminds me of pain is the most powerful thing, i think.

the old scent at grandma's house, the scent of moving
a candle that is blown out, the scent of hospitals
that perfume that she was wearing

words will be forgotten, images get blurry, voices fade away
but who can bear the pain of scent?
(dayam, if i work on that a bit longer then it's almost a poem)

and more important: when looking at it in a non-selfish manner, pain is even more powerful. When she's happy, then my heart can sing, but when she has pain, it feels like my heart is getting ripped out. So pain is definetely stronger.

Answer 5

It is most often the pleasures in life that we remember most. The pain of child birth is excruciating and yet when you hold that little baby in your arms, The memory of that pain fades away

Answer 6

It is written; Adversity does not make the man, it reveals the man.

The most difficult, and the most painful period of my life was 4 years in the Army. I would never do it again, but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

And then I got married.

Answer 7

pleasure is more powerful to a human
but you can be affected more by pain

Answer 8

without pain there is no pleasure, pains makes u knw the meaning of pleasure so pain is more powerful

Answer 9

pain and pleasure are so intertwined that it is hard tosay.. the one thing in my life that caused me ENORMOUS pleasure definately caused me the most intense pain ...but to answer your question in picking one i would have to have to say pain because the pain i experienced in the situation above taught me the most

Answer 10

"Pain is the touchstone of all spiritual progress." That spiritual progress can be anything from God, to gods, to intellect, to.... etc. etc. There is not much growth in always thinking you are right. In finding out that I am wrong always brings pain, but the answer brings growth. Brings Truth. Brings Acceptance of others.