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Chronic pain is debilitating, whether it's emotional or physical. People who haven't experienced it or don't care for someone experiencing it have no idea how terrible the suffering is. The lack of empathy and compassion some people are proudly displaying over on Bluesky is appalling. Though pretty par for the course.

I'm lucky, I don't have chronic pain. It's just luck, I'm not more virtuous. Sure I do yoga to prevent sciatica's acute pain but I'm also lucky and privileged that I can do this. Blaming victims of bad luck makes you a monster not a superior human being. We're all one fall or accident away from chronic pain.

Chronic pain's a complicated neurobiological condition we still don't understand well. (I grew up around pain research, I know a lot about it and briefly worked in a pain clinic.) Pain's so complicated and subjective, and linked to cognition, that even culture influences how it is experienced and expressed. It's not just mechanical and money isn't magic.

I mean, I'm 60yo and I have a worn down disk in my lower back and a degenerating hip so I'm not entirely pain free (both my mom and my aunt needed hip replacements, we'll see if I get access to that kind of care when I really need it.) But it's usually pretty manageable and my psychological/mood set point tends towards optimism. I'm lucky and I know it (but feeling that way is also luck in many ways).

People really do understimate how much of feeling good and being healthy is outside of their control. Exercise is a common way people damage their body, especially over time, just fyi. Also, supplements are generally bad for your health over the longterm. Our sense of control is largely an illusion/delusion. We're all born this way, we don't get to choose the bodies or circumstances we're born into. Be kinder to other people and also yourself, especially if you're lucky enough to be healthy and currently living pain free.