#understanding pain

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

I went to Washington Square Park with one of the bee researchers, Lars Chittka. I felt the park around me sort of fill up with living things 'cause I knew that we were surrounded by insects. That sense of wonder that we could just be surrounded by beings that have their own subjective experience was really cool [...]

Shayla Love, in an Interview on NPR, about her article in The New Yorker, on whether insects feel pain. 13 January, 2025

[ingravinoveritas]

"We've all got to be fighting that fight every day."

Happy Pride, everyone...

[igate777]

[iwasbored777]

Gerald let Maria and Shadow spend time together. He saw that Shadow won't hurt her and he let them be friends. This is so important. He called them "kids" and also when he says "they want to take Shadow away from us" - he cared about Shadow too and realized that he is just a kid just like his granddaughter. Gerald was definitely a good grandpa and a good guy before Maria got killed.

[turiyatitta]

Empathy in Healing

The Transformative Power of Alleviating Others’ PainIn our increasingly interconnected world, where individual struggles and collective hardships are omnipresent, there lies a profound, yet often overlooked, truth: healing others can lead to our recovery. Tending to the wounds of the afflicted isn’t merely a noble endeavour; it is an odyssey into the core of human existence, and in this journey,…

[inkskinned]

you know, you know. no gods, no masters, no kings on pedestals. everyone is fallible. death of the author. you know! you are balanced about your intake of media - you allow the wiggle room, the grace, the gratitude, the skepticism. nobody above criticism.

but still. a weird gut-punch feeling, something akin to betrayal. you read the article. surprise! an author you love is actually: a serial fucking predator.

well, shit. what now. no, you knew he was a person (all people are), but now you're wondering - what have i overlooked by accident? what messages have i internalized that are strange and cruel? and also, like, what the fuck?

his actions lay a thick glaze on top of everything. like each place is now ruined, opaque in a new way. but okay, fine, you've done this before. you knew better, right? you've been betrayed by many a cherished childhood author.

still, this stickiness. fuck. can you pick up that book again. will you read it to your children. you've recommended it to others - will you ever do that again? and of course, of course, no parasocial relationships. you were theoretically above this kind of sentiment. but the artist informs the art, right.

so it's not something as clear-cut as feeling he owed you, specifically (a stranger) better behavior - just that you kind of, in a distant and odd way... sort of trusted him to do better. it's not like a real trust or something speakable, just the faint hope that the product (good books) was a thin representation of the soul. now it feels like the product (good? books?) was a mask. in some small or insignificant way, your previous support of this person lent them power. your money and your time and your laughter.

and the thing is - you have this terrible, echoing sensation. how many times will this happen? over and over. you find out that the singer you love is actually a predator. you learn over drinks that your favorite high school english teacher is in jail for what he did to her. you listen to the news idly and suddenly discover that a woman you used to idolize has been abusing her kids for an actual eon.

what can you touch without the static melting off. you can't even really complain about it too much (you were supposed to know better, and besides, you don't want the same re-split "it's not your fault, love what you love" basic advice), but now it's here. somehow, it feels like - you let him into your life.

it's not that things need to be pure or an artist has to be like, endlessly perfect, mindful. demure. it's more just this terrible truth that has been replayed through your veins so often it feels criminally vain. power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. did you want any one person to be worth that power?

it's just that he wrote books where he seemed to understand that. he seemed to know about hierarchies and unfair systems and bigotry and privilege. you thought they were books about what it means to struggle. you thought they were about having power and still using it for good rather than for control. he spooned you a narrative of being a good guy, a kind soul. you fucking bought what that fucking monster sold.

maybe that's why they were fantasies, after all.

[dirtytransmasc]

I'm just imagining Sevika charging into battle not knowing where her girls are. she hears whispers from the battlefield that Isha is dead and that Jinx is gone. taken. captured. surrendered. she doesn't want to accept either. she almost refuses. and it's in the back of her mind that she has to live so she can find her girls, and at the very least, remember them.

and she almost dies. she thinks that there might not be anyone to remember them. to find them.

and then she doesn't. she doesn't die. and one thing leads to another, and she's on the council. and....

she still doesn't know what happened to them.

and then Vi, the girl who, justifiably, hates her guts, comes back. and the look on her face all She needs to know Jinx is gone. but she can't accept it. she can't.

she demands to know what happened, in a clipped, gruff manner, not displaying much care, but her eyes are teary and her gut is churning.... and Vi just says they're gone.

and all Sevika can do is whisper "... both?"

and she doesn't wait for an answer. the face is enough. "how?".

the answer kills her.

she walks away. murmurs an apology over her shoulder.

she doesn't know what to do with the feeling in her chest. her fingers trace over the carving in her arm.

[wellhealthhub]

Unraveling the Enigma: What Causes Chronic Pain?

In every corner of the world, a profound and intricate issue known as chronic pain casts its long shadow over countless lives. Far surpassing the transient ache of an injury, it becomes an unwavering companion for those ensnared by its grasp. This article embarks on a journey through the labyrinthine nature of chronic pain, delving deep into its origins, the methods that unveil its presence,…

[decora-kai]

Ive seen posts about how disabled people should be able to have hobbies and how we should be able to do things that we like if we enjoy it and if it doesnt hurt us, and yeah I totally agree, but like unpopular opinion ig, let disabled people do things they enjoy even if it hurts them.

I, as a chronically ill person, have things I enjoy doing that arent that good for my pain levels. For example, I enjoy going on walks, just for like an hour or so around my town and in the forest. I will most likely have a flare up the day after/for a couple days after and my legs will be aching most of the way through walking but I love it, not the pain but the walking and seeing places (specifically the woods, i love the woods so much omdddd). Another example is video games, which may sound like an odd thing to flare from for some, but with fast paced video games on console or pc, my fingers get very stiff and achey from moving around so much so quickly, and it tires me to have to even use my eyes sometimes but I really like playing them.

Obviously there are way more examples that I've missed but the point still gets across. Let disabled people have hobbies, even ones that may mess up their pain levels, or make them extremely fatigued etc.

[cheesy-cheddar-sadness]

text could never portray the scream i wish i could let out

[aslyran]

Visions

[butiknowiloatheyou]

you do not know the epic highs and lows of being a huge fan of my chemical romance

[orindis]

Nami based on her early concept art only she loses her arm later in the story & Franky builds her a fully automatic one!

[hinamie]

all i have left

[rejoiceinsilverlight]

thinking about super cousins post-season 2 and potential effects of being exposed to kryptonite so many times

[nechto221b]