Editing The Problem of Pain (section)

=== Human Pain ===
He says that pain is inherent in a world where souls meet and souls acting wickedly towards each other probably accounts for four-fifths of the World’s pain. And he says it’s a legitimate question to ask why humans are given permission to torture each other. He refines his previous statement that the people can only experience remedial good and says it’s an incomplete answer. He classifies pain into two senses: 1) a physical sensation and 2) any experience, physical or mental, that person dislikes.

He says that the proper aim of any creature is to self-surrender – to offer back the will which we claim as our own, and this necessity is a daily occurrence which is inherently painful. He says this process is made easier through pain itself because 1) people would not surrender if all was well, so pain is recognizable and unmasked evil; "every man knows something is wrong when he is being hurt". 2) Pain shatters the illusion that we have enough for ourselves. 3) We know we’re acting for God’s sake if the material action of our choice is painful or at least contrary to our inclinations.

For the first, Lewis says [[Sadomasochism|sadists and masochists]] are no different, they just isolate and exaggerate an aspect of normal pleasure. The sadists exaggerates the moment of union by saying "I am such a master that I even torment you" and the masochist exaggerates the complementary side by saying "I am so enthralled that I welcome even pain at your hands." If these people recognized pain for what it was, their habits would cease to provide a pleasurable stimulus.

To underline his point he says probably the most famous line from this book: "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

He says that a recognition of this truth underlies the universal feeling that bad men ought to suffer – a sense of [[Retributive justice|retribution]]. While some people want to do away with retribution, Lewis says that to do so would make all punishment unjust and any act to correct behavior would contradict itself. On another level, Lewis says that we experience a thirst for [[revenge]]. This passion though loses sight of the end in the means.
He notes how biblical ancestors probably meant retribution when they spoke of God’s ‘vengeance’. Pain gives the only opportunity for bad men to amend.