I don't watch much tv anymore, since the cable people and I got into a fight, but I do watch shows online. And each time, at least with ABC shows, the show is sponsored by a particular company with limited commercial interruption (like only 10 seconds at a time).
Anyway, while watching a show called car poolers (not a great show, but something to watch), my show was sponsored by Aleve. And there was this guy, talking about how aleve allows him to pay softball with his friends. This was not a granddad with athreitis. Not a young working mother with migraines and back aches from lifting multiple small children. Not a man with aches and pains after improperly lifting something far too heavy. This guy was like my age (ie 25-35), spending time in athletic activities with his group of friends. It is something he is proud of. And then he says: I always take Aleve when I play a game, to take away the pain. Pain from what? From exercising?
I didn't think about it at the time, but while driving today to Ohio, I thought about that commercial, and I realized in a moment of clarity that pain medicines have gone too far. Why can't we suffer through the aches and pains that come from working out? Why can't we enjoy that good feeling from working our bodies, the ache that tells us we have stretched our muscles well. It is natural, healthy, and necessary. Pain medicine commercials provide a vision of a pain-free and sanitized life. It goes too far.
But are they right? Are we trying to insulate ourselves from all of life's pain, even the good kind?
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