# Poll... Your life thus far. Joy or Pain? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 25, 2001, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811 "2001-02-25T08:11:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811/1 "2001-02-25T08:11:05Z")
No explanations needed. Me? Pain. You? ---
**Author:** ![Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morrison_s_Lament)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811/2 "2001-02-25T08:31:20Z")
Pain. Nothing but unbearable, unrelenting pain over here. I kinda like the boards though… 🙂 — G. Raven ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811/3 "2001-02-25T08:46:13Z")
Pain. But really looking up these days, what with finally finishing college and getting a ob in my field and all. See my new VOLVOS! thread for another reason. ---
**Author:** ![Eo\_Echo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ebca7d/32.png) [@Eo\_Echo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eo_Echo)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811/4 "2001-02-25T08:56:14Z")
Definitely pain. But thankfully I found alcohol in time. ---
**Author:** ![Emperor\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c2a13f/32.png) [@Emperor\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emperor_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811/5 "2001-02-25T08:56:46Z")
Pain mostly (hmmm… do I sense a trend here?). Although, it seems to me that childhood was pretty darn good to me. ---
**Author:** ![Medea\_s\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Medea\_s\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medea_s_Child)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811/6 "2001-02-25T09:06:59Z")
Joy. (sorry I break the trend.) Yea bits of it have sucked. Elementary school. Freshman year of college. Thespian Initiation. Almost dying (see Freshman year). But even when it sucked wonderful things happened that I’m glad I was there for. I spent hours upon hours curled up in leaf piles reading Kipling on sunny afternoons in elementary school. I met some fantastic teachers and friends and put a great spin on my personality freshman year, all alone. I finally squashed decently any fear of shame during that initiation. I experianced love and faithfulness in that hospital. Realising I was about a week from dying taught me how very, very much I value life and will fight to keep it. Even when it sucks, starts twinkle, cool quiet nights roll in, the sun rises, and somewhere a cat is purring in the sun. Something fantastic happens in most days, if you ever step out and open your eyes wide enough to see it. Nothing can combat that joy, not really. ---
**Author:** ![Soda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@Soda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soda)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811/7 "2001-02-25T10:03:43Z")
All things considered, I would still say joy. Life has more good points than bad or I wouldn’t even be here. Besides, I can’t be in pain reading Medea’s Child’s posts. She puts a smile on my face every time. In case you haven’t figured this out yet, I really like you Medea. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811/8 "2001-02-25T11:05:22Z")
A true life well lived is an equal measure of both. ---
**Author:** ![WhiteRaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@WhiteRaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhiteRaven)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811/9 "2001-02-25T11:09:23Z")
Sort of both. I find Joy in the pain. Not while I’m in pain of course, but the memory of said pain can bring joy. Mabey I need help. =) ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811/10 "2001-02-25T11:47:25Z")
I’m going with joy. (And what **Medea’s Child** said too) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![iamutt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9e8a1a/32.png) [@iamutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamutt)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811/11 "2001-02-25T12:17:04Z")
I figure that life’s too short to be focusing on the pain. Fuck the pain! I’m gonna enjoy my life even if it kills me. ---
**Author:** ![Cumber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5ac83/32.png) [@Cumber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumber)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811/12 "2001-02-25T12:18:41Z")
Life is basically good. Bits of it suck, but on the whole it’s one ride I wouldn’t miss. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BornDodgy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@BornDodgy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BornDodgy)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811/13 "2001-02-25T12:24:40Z")
until age 17 1/2 → Pain since age 17 1/2 → Bittersweet Joy (I like my coffee black, and my joy bittersweet 😉 ) dodgy ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811/14 "2001-02-25T13:13:13Z")
IMHO, joy can’t exist without pain, or at least the threat of pain, so answering an either/or question is difficult. The things that bring us joy–loving and being loved springs to mind–are so joyful precisely because they can be lost and are therefore precious. And pain is often the result of losing something that brought us joy. Or, in a slightly different take, I feel that I have a huge capacity for joy. I feel fortunate to be one of the most cheerful, happy people I know. I sing, I laugh, I bubble over. I trace this quality, in part, to a truly painful childhood and young adulthood in which I was raised by a depressed and occasionally suicidal mother. Having known pain, I am determined to know joy as well. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811/15 "2001-02-25T13:17:37Z")
Joy. Sometimes its been a bit rough, but overall I am filled with a sense of wonder that I am so fortunate to be here at all, with family and friends whom I cherish, in place and time where life is relatively easy. When tragedy occurs (e.g. I’m running seriously low on relatives), I try to remember the good, so I eventually get over it. I guess you could say that the knocks along the way help me better appreciate who I am and what is important to me. (Besides, I have lots of cats. Cats radiate happy happy joy joy. Comments from folks to whom I have given cats: K.S. of London, “Buster is the joy of my life, and my boyfriend likes him too!” L.S. of Thunder Bay, “Ms. Nibbs is the best cat I have ever had, and my husband likes him too. Do you have another one – cat that is?” So there you have it. If you want to be happy, forget about philosophy, religion and the like. Just ask me to ship you a cat.) Rama rama ding ding, Muffin ---
**Author:** ![hardygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@hardygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hardygrrl)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811/16 "2001-02-25T13:46:01Z")
It’s gone from the apex of joy to the depths of pain to back to joy etc etc. It all depends on perspective. Three years ago I went though what will probably be the most painful moment of my life…watching my four yr old nephew (who I had helped raise from infancy and was practically my son too except for the genetic parts) die of cancer. Trust me when I say I saw no joy then. It took a lot for me to pull myself out of that state of despair. Today I do find joy in life and I can finally think about my nephew and smile-remembering the good times. ---
**Author:** ![poohpah\_chalupa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/91b2a8/32.png) [@poohpah\_chalupa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/poohpah_chalupa)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811/17 "2001-02-25T14:22:08Z")
_Most_ of my life has been a sort of a quiet joy, but for the past few months, it’s been offset by immense pain, depression and uncertainty. While there is a glimmer of hope remaining, it seems awfully dim and far off. But I cling to that hope with all that I am and pray that I can find the joy that I knew once more. ---
**Author:** ![Cyndar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cyndar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyndar)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811/18 "2001-02-25T14:48:45Z")
Pain, despite all the cats. ---
**Author:** ![Medea\_s\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Medea\_s\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medea_s_Child)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811/19 "2001-02-25T17:49:49Z")
[sub]I walk into a thread, and you know I can only stay on topic for thirty seconds…[/sub] Soda! _blush_ Hehehehe…Soda likes me! Muffin, you ship cats? How far? My catless life has big holes in it until I get a place that allows pets. I plan to install a cat about the same time I walk in the door. ---
**Author:** ![Hamadryad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@Hamadryad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamadryad)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2001, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811/20 "2001-02-25T17:58:20Z")
It depends on when you catch me, what the day’s been like, and whether I’ve managed to push it all far below the surface (status quo) or let it all drift to the top (now). Normally: Joy. The rest of the time: Utter pain. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-your-life-thus-far-joy-or-pain/55811.md?page=2)