Life Lessons From The U.S. Army: Pain Is Just Weakness Leaving Your Body
“Dammit, Private! Is that all you got? Push harder! Pain is just weakness leaving your body.” “Harder!” “Faster!” “That’s not good enough!” “Do it again!” “Let’s f*cking go!” I remember thinking something like, “Son of a bitch! If that’s the case, I’m way weaker than I ever imagined because this hurts like hell.” “Pain is just weakness leaving your body” was one of the commonly repeated mantras of boot camp. Frankly, there was no good option other than to give it all you had and to press on through the pain. It may hurt, but they’re professionals. Surely they know what they’re talking about.
The thing is, that statement is absolute bullshit. Ludacris. What are they even talking about? That’s insanity. Pain is your body’s way of saying, “Slow the f*ck down Cowboy! If you don’t, I’m warning you, you might break something or cause permanent damage.” Pain is part of our divine design. A supernatural yellow light cautioning us to pay attention to the signs and proceed carefully.
Anyone ever see the cinematic masterpiece “Talladega Nights”? What was Ricky Bobby’s mantra, passed on to him by his father, that propelled him to NASCAR greatness? “If you ain’t first, you’re last.” Ricky lived his whole life by this principle. When he was trying to get his mojo back, he reconnected with his father and reminded him of his words of wisdom all those years ago. His father pointed out that he was high at the time and that made absolutely no sense. You could be second. Or third… Harsh reality check. “Pain is just weakness leaving your body” is the same thing. Utter nonsense, right?
But, with discernment, there is truth to the statement. You have to recognize it as hyperbole and understand the difference between degrees of discomfort and the warnings of actual pain. If you’re fat and out of shape, trying to walk a mile may feel like it it’s going to kill you. It is unlikely to. It is more likely to save your life if you make a regular habit of it. Your body can become addicted to a sedentary state, and liberating yourself from it can be extremely uncomfortable. It may even be perceived as pain. This is not the same thing as trying to walk off a compound tib-fib fracture or an arrow though your chest.
There is mental weakness and there is physical weakness. Mental weakness could include bad habits, lack of knowledge, lack of motivation, lack of will power, etc. Physical weakness can be caused by poor nutrition, poor exercise, deconditioning due to injury or illness, etc. Dealing with mental weakness is one of the keys to improving one’s physical weakness. Of course, it also takes action.
When you’re first getting started, there will be discomfort that you may perceive as pain. Eating a steak and a salad instead of eating two bacon double cheeseburgers all-the-way with a whopping ass load of fries may seem painful if that’s what you’re used to, but it isn’t bad for you. On the contrary. Breaking cycles of unhealthy behavior can hurt, but it does get better.
Pain is highly subjective. You can’t rightly tell someone that they’re not having pain, but what you may be able to do is help people gain insight into the fact that not all pain is the same. Discernment. Some pain is psychological. Some pain is mental. Some pain is from withdrawal of substances. Some pain is from emptiness or loneliness. Some pain is from injury or illness. Getting to the root cause is an important step to figuring out whether pushing through it is going to be a wise decision.
“You know, I’m just a big, hairy, American winning machine. If you ain’t first, you’re last. Know what I’m talking about?”
