Gimme Pain

I happened to watch Rockstar yesterday and I thought how well the description of an artist was portrayed by Imtiaz Ali.

He himself is an artist and sure he wouldn't empathize more than what he has done through such a wonderful piece of screenplay and direction!

I won't talk about the movie here. But let me put a question, how many of us take pain voluntarily?

I found myself doing that a number of times. I would get hurt and then deal with the pain and feel good about it, because unless it hurt, I would never come up with creative pieces to write, or a wouldn't understand the nuances of life.

My writer's instinct (the minimal that I have) are usually triggered when an emotion stirs. Most of the times, it is pain.

Let me classify pain.

Pain is not as miniscule as disappoinment, or frustration or unhappiness. These emotions are borne by choice.You can be disappointed, or you cannot be, you can be frustrated, or you can be cheerful, you can be unhappy by choice, or you can be joyful.

There is no pain induced, as such, when you talk about these emotions or moods.

Pain probably comes when, you lose a loved one, when you realise that you want to do something, and find your self utterly helpless.

Pain is associated with distance, the necessity to see someone to be with someone when you need that person the most.

Not just lovers, but mothers, fathers, children they all face pain in some or the other way, when I talk about distances and urge to be with somebody.

A little boy in boarding school may be overtly happy, but feels the pain of being away from home (Taare Zameen Par), a mother may be helpless because she is not able to see her son while he works for the nation, in the army. Or talk about the pain of separation of two lovers, for that matter!

That's indeed pain!

What Rockstar put forth was that, in order to express effectively, an artist needs to go through that phase of pain, otherwise, he is never able to depict his art to the best of his ability.

And afterall we all are artists, in some way or the other. So if you want to be an artistic liver, just endure the pain that comes your way, instead of running away from it!

It helps us grow. There is really no point in not facing what hurts.

My favorite philosopher has quoted it beautifully

"Much of your pain is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self"

I feel, we evolve as totally different persons, after we undergo a phase of pain, and the struggle followed by it to lift up our spirits.

That's why Rockstars are called Rockstars!! :)

How many of us can take pain, deal with it and evolve?

I can! Can you?

PS: Rockstar is a must watch!!