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Must one really experience pain in order to give pleasure its true value?
My very good Sir,
This is really an interesting question. In fact, it is the most
interesting question that has been asked to me so far. However short
may be the question, and to the point, the answer cannot follow suit in
conciseness and brevity. Bear with me and you will be satisfied, I
believe.
Pain and pleasure are two facets of the same physical phenomenon (or
two sides of the same coin, as you might say nowadays): this must be
fully understood, otherwise we will not understand one another. Given
that, you will of course conceive, my good sir, that your question
would seem needless and probably unworthy of my attention. However, I
do believe that questions like these must be taken into full
consideration and given all the attention they deserve. Pain and
pleasure are not merely physical phenomena, as you well know: they are
above all mental states that escape most scientific and medical
definitions. We have to rise from the mere materialism of science,
after all!
To me, to my experience, pain IS pleasure, whether I dispense it or
receive it. But, in order to enjoy the pleasure of giving pain, I must
know it first hand, and therefore I must first have received it.
Furthermore, in order to enjoy pain by the hands of others, I must in
some way have given it, so that I know what the person who is giving me
pain is doing. I will never stress this point enough: pain is just one
way (the wrong way, if I may add) our brain has of valuing the electric
stimulation that our nerves are recording. Let's say you whip me
fiercely on my back: my body feels a shock; a sudden power surge has
been taken by my physical organization. It is up to me now to perceive
it as a positive or a negative action, and this depends entirely on my
temperament, on my education, on my personal history. Do you follow me
so far?
Now that I have acknowledged this power surge, I can decide whether to
interpret it as a threat to my wellbeing or an increase in the same
wellbeing. It's all in the head, my dear Sir, and my head has been
formed to perceive these kinds of shock as a good thing indeed! Whether
or not I perceive pleasure is independent from whether I have already
felt pain or pleasure. So, to conclude this long and winded
explanation, no, it is not necessary to have endured pain in order to
feel pleasure (nor the other way around), because the two things are
one and the same.
I hope you will not feel disappointed by my explanations, but please do
feel free to return to me with more such challenging questions!
I will ever remain your humble and trusted servant,
Donatien de Sade
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