What Links Desire As The Connection To Pain?
It’s like a 5000 piece puzzle. Some people try to put the puzzle together by just putting random pieces together, as opposed to putting together the framework of the puzzle first.
By doing it that way, they don’t get a good vision or picture of the entire puzzle because they cannot really envision a connected whole. This makes the struggle to find the right piece much more difficult. It is the same in the path of life because you are missing the connectedness.
What links desire as the connection to pain? This concept is based on hands-on experience. As a person living with and managing my own pain conditions, as well as being a Holistic Practitioner; I am focused on eliminating pain in myself and others. I know that experiencing pain is a matter of choice and is totally unnecessary.
As I started researching this concept, I found that there were scriptures that supported much of my conclusions. Some of these concepts may seem controversial in the current culture, but it is not included in this or any future posts with the intention to offend.
My purpose is to seek natural sources of information that indicate where there is a connection to pain, and this includes spiritual things. If you read the articles here in their entirety, you will see that judgments are not my agenda, but only exposing the connection to pain from as many real sources as possible.
What Is The Mindset Of Pain?
In light of that, I’m searching for the mindset of pain. While doing so, I stumbled across the word “vacuous.” My immediate thought was about big empty spaces.
While trying to connect that to mindset, I thought about space cadets in the non-literal sense. I wondered if people could be accurately described as being “vacuous.” From the definition I found, I’d say this does fit a lot of people, especially in the age of legalized marijuana.
Vacuous—adjective
- without contents; empty: the vacuous air.
- lacking in ideas or intelligence: a vacuous mind.
- expressing or characterized by a lack of ideas or intelligence; inane; stupid: a vacuous book.
- purposeless; idle: a vacuous way of life.
Purposeless Without A Plan
A vacuous way of life is one spent in idleness, catering to every desire and whim you have; ie: “the desires of the flesh.” In my mind, this is mostly about being purposeless.
People without purpose have no hope. Being without hope is a definite cause of and connection to pain. This is why I’m starting to work with my son to make a life plan.
Due to my efforts to complete my business plan, and the type of tough questions I had to think about; I came to realize that whether it is a plan for a business, a project, or life in general, everyone should have a plan.
People, who do not plan their lives; live a vacuous existence, with a connection to pain on a more continual and ongoing basis. They are easily tossed and turned in their life’s journey by every emotional puff of wind that blows their way.
Such people live wasting valuable time, life’s most precious commodity. They live in the past and are stuck there because they haven’t renewed or reprogrammed their minds.
Develop A Vision
Until a few years ago, my life was very vacuous and I had a strong connection to pain. I have since found my calling, and am now in the business of helping as many of you who are in pain as possible.
Now I am more conscious (woke) and try to be more mindful of planning, goals, and achievement than ever before. There’s hope for free spirits after all. You just have to develop a vision.
Escape Tunnel Vision
Tunnel vision – when one is in the dark and sees a pinpoint of light afar off. You may see the light, but you still have to make a choice and take action to move towards it. This requires a renewing of the mind and a whole new train of thought.
People who don’t renew their minds are trapped in darkness, wandering aimlessly. They are hopelessly lost, and never see or truly understanding their connection to pain. The situation won’t change unless they make that choice to walk towards that pinpoint of light; which requires effort.
A vacuous lifestyle happens in your comfort zone and causes you to live in the past. You are never creating your life or your future because you are too comfortable where you are. A vacuous lifestyle gives you a connection to pain because idleness can cause pain.
Likewise, idleness and lack of movement cause muscle lock. This is why I don’t prescribe to the notion that old people are useless. There is a lot of things elderly people can do, even as they age. They just have to keep the focus on what they can do, especially to manage their pain.
Elderly people are a living atlas of knowledge and life experiences; influences that younger people could benefit and grow from. They should be valued as a resource, not cast aside as unworthy and invaluable.
Distractions, Idleness And Misperceptions
Lack of focus can cause you to be caught up in multiple distractions that cater to your every desire. Giving in to your every desire can give you an immediate connection to pain.
Being unfocused can draw you into activities, decision, or lifestyle choices that prove to be harmful. These connections to pain always seem harmless at first. Usually, such misperceptions are the result of failure to think and carefully evaluate all factors.
Jeremiah 17:9 (ESV) The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
Renew Your Mind
The “heart” referenced here is the mind, because that is the battleground. If you aren’t feeding as well as guarding your “heart,” your “spring of life” could dry up. This is why scripture talks about renewing the mind, and what you should set your mind on to protect it.
Galatians 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Romans 8:6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
Romans 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Forrest Of The Mind
A few years ago, I started reading a book called, Who Shut Off My Brain. Among the things mentioned in this book were brain trees and the amazingly devastating effects of negative thoughts on the forest of your mind.
This is why I’m so focused on the thought life and decisions people make as the number one factor in their pain problems. This is primarily because people resist change.
The Desire For Total Individual Freedom
People want total freedom. That’s fine if you want that, but most people don’t understand that such freedom is not free. There is a cost. The prerequisite is that you have to be able to control all factors of any given situation. ALL FACTORS.
If you cannot do that, then you must abide by boundaries and restrictions that are set in place to protect you. All these “total freedom” loving people who don’t want the government to tell them anything, don’t understand this.
If you cannot control every wind of change in your own life, how can you control what anyone else around you might do, or how they might react to you exercising your “total freedom?”
The Cost Of Breaking Boundaries
What if your freedom of expression or action interferes with theirs? Whose rights and freedoms are to be honored, and who has jurisdiction to judge that?
No matter how anyone slices and dices it, having total individual freedom is a losing game. This foolish ideal and rebellion against boundaries is a direct connection to pain.
You won’t care how your desires affect anyone else, as long as it doesn’t affect you negatively per your perceptions. Your best friend will feel the same way, wanting their own way without repercussions and care for the effect on another.
No two people think exactly alike and feel exactly the same, so someone is bound to be upset or offended. Everyone would want to be without boundaries; so as to exercise their desires. Grown people would be like a bunch of spoiled little 5-year-olds fighting over toys. This is how wars start.
Any time you want to go against boundaries; when you resist the natural order of things; refuse to consider others above yourself, and abort the natural laws and principles placed within the universe and your very DNA; you will connect to pain.
You Must Guard Your Heart
In order to avoid these connections to pain, one must guard their heart. Becoming aware of harmful ideologies and influences is essential because the current culture is full of them. Most of the cultural influences are spiritually, emotionally (soulfully), and physically harmful.
Everyone has to recognize the current influencers that master and control their lives and break free from those ideologies and desires that cause pain.
In order to protect your heart; you must redirect your course away from that which is culturally acceptable and follow the order of the natural laws.
“I’m not saying you have no moral compass. Oh yes, you have a moral compass – you just don’t know where it is.” Rob Brydon in “The Trip To Italy”
1 John 2:17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
By “repenting” or changing one’s mindset, and renewing one’s mind with more spiritually positive information; a person can circumnavigate the connection to pain and change their course or life’s path.
Resources
All scriptural references are from the ESV version from blueletterbible.org
