This is difficult to answer. I suffered about 8 years with very bad chronic pain that negatively impacted my life in a big way. However, the pain was caused by illness, not a car accident or something similar, and the pain kept me going to pursue trying to cure the underlying problem. I do believe the illness has the potential to shorten my life. At this point the pain is sigificantly reduced, I am free of pain most days, and itis truly magical. Life is better without the pain. The pain was like a prison, I felt not free during those years, not free in mind, body, or spirit. Now, I still have shit to deal with regarding this ongoing chronic ordeal, but with less pain I can live in long days of denial, and feel the bliss in life. I have earned a lot from the journey with illness, but I would not for one second say it was worth being sick.
Emotional pain. Well, if totally void of emotional pain, I guess the worst thing to me would be losing our empathy for others. Some of the worst emotional pain I have been through I really could have done without. Yes, I grew from it, but that too, I would have been better off not being in the pain I went through. It ruined my college GPA because I was not functioning well. In anothet case it made me afraid when I should have moved forward. Dwelling in sorrow or anxiety does not seem to be very productive. But, a complete absence of pain, I don’t know if I would wish for it. I think if I could still hold onto my compassion and value I put on relationships and life, then I would be ok giving up the pain.