Have you ever read the Kushiel trilogy by Jaquline Carey? It is the story of a woman who is unique in the world, in that she revels in pain. Not the pain of others, but her own. One of the parts of the story has been stuck in my mind ever since I read it years ago. She's talking to a man who explains the connections of pain and pleasure. How small amount of pain can make the pleasure all the more stunning for the contrast. I could be cliche and talk about bondage and such obvious methods and examples, but that's not what got me thinking.
Strangely enough, this was all inspired by a plate of Somosa's that my roomate made for me.
She's Indian, and she can cook, so these are REAL Somosa's. Stuffed almost to bursting with rich vegetables and spices and currey. And I got to thinking on why in the hell I liked spicy food so damn much, when in most cases it hurts to eat it. But in alot of cases that just makes it better, the small sharp pain of spices followed immediately by the other flavours, making them seem all the more vibrant than they would be by themselves. Other things like cinnamon hearts, the innitial burn followed and soothed by the rich sugar center. Soda drinks which burn slightly if swallowed too fast but taste sweeter for it. The sharper bite of alcohol chased by the pleasant daze it leaves behind.
Pain is a part of life, and to some extent we all seek it out, if there were no pain then I don't think anything would seem real anymore. You come into the world in pain and leave the same way, and the little reminders in between just reinforce that we're still living.
Meru at 7:40 PM