It all depends upon what pain is being experienced....there are some kinds of pain that it would be unwise to ignore, and not relieve. Some manifestations of pain (natures way of warning organisms that they are at risk of systems failure, if not actual death, and thus encouraging the organism to avoid whatever is that is causing it) are worth taking seriously instead of just stoically soldiering on. The art of survival is distinguishing between nominal pain, from the pain that is indicative of imminent, permanent, irreparable physical harm / death, from pain that is not harmful, but imagined. Chronic pain is correlated with a number of negative health and lifestyle outcomes.
one of the first lessons I ever learned when I went through the trials, was that what I thought I could do and what I was actually capable of doing were two completely different things! Our very first day right after they showed us how to stick a needle and draw blood, and then every one practiced on each other, was go for a 5 mile swim, Now this swim was in the dead of winter in New Mexico and the pool was un heated, we lost almost 10% of our hopefuls that first day, and it pretty much stayed that way for the full 10 weeks including weekends! The point is, the mind is accustomed to certain things, and the trick is to ignore the thoughts and to push through and do what must be done, and to succeed, you need to push even harder then the others. Pain is temporary, no matter how bad it hurt, at some point it will go away, and you have one of two outcomes, you did it despite the pain, and you completed the tasks, or you didn't BECAUSE you couldn't ignore the pain, and you failed! I had a close one doring one of the last water trials, I cramped up BAD, and I was afraid all the hard work was going to wash own the drain, How in hell am I going to complete this task when my body cannot function?!?!?! I made up my mind that I was going to make it through some how, or I was going to drown trying! After that quick thought, it hit me, Relax, let your self float there for a bit and maybe the cramps will lessen, and sure enough, they did and I completed the trial!!! Every one of my instructors saw it happen to me, and they let me figure it out on my own, and they complemented me for sticking through it and finishing!
My opinion is that pain is nothing more than telling you something is wrong. You must decide if it is worth it to carry onwards. So many times in life I have been too stubborn to quit simply because - well - I'm stubborn, pugnacious and not a quitter and it has caused me more pain than it was worth - sometimes it can be better to quit than suffer the consequences especially when the end result is valueless. I guess what I am saying is apply the 40% when it's worth it. For example, being a marathoner for years, I've seen runners simply not quit on practice/training runs but by doing so they were too screwed up to race the next week. Or take personal relationships, some will hang-in there until their lives are totally wrecked. When you hit the wall in life, no matter what you are doing, one needs to decide if it is truly worth the effort and if so then don't stop. It's that simple. At some point in everyone's life, life will jump right out and kick you in the teeth and it's 'do or die' and, if one knows themselves, one makes the decision unconsciously and moves forward and lives...hopefully. Or, goes down ranting and raving, kicking and screaming, certainly "Do not go gentle into that good night."
Deliberate actions causing injuries is unwise, and in the end will come to haunt you as time goes by . Building muscle and resisting fatigue is a valuable instrument in survival , even enduring through SOME injuries builds character . Every one's body is different, some weaker some stronger ,but making excuses has never built anything but sludge . Since i was a kid ,i worked circles around other workers in construction and many of my other jobs in life. My size was abused by those that knew I lived for the challenge. In time though all that hard work takes a tole on the body. Though I move a bit slower now days , and use machines for doing work I usually did alone , working does not intimidate me. Pain/injury comes, but I give it little consideration , walk it off, adjust the work, and get right back to it again . About the only time I stop doing something mid stream, is if its too hot to work, and I start making mistakes . Time to cool off and take stock .
