Community residents’ opposition to the opening of marijuana shops in school areas has once again sparked people’s reflection on the legalization of marijuana. A decade ago, many people were still unfamiliar with the smell of marijuana, but now it has become all too common. The rapid shift in attitudes almost leads people to mistakenly believe that legality equates to safety and openness leads to progress. However, the misinterpretation of “compassion” and “enduring hardship” in society is the root cause of many issues today.
The modern medical “pain relief revolution” is a typical example. In the early years, the control of psychotropic painkillers was extremely strict, but since the 1990s, the medical community began advocating for “actively treating pain” and viewing “pain relief” as a basic right of patients. Doctors were encouraged to “more fully relieve patients’ pain,” which ultimately led to the abuse of painkillers, triggering an addiction crisis that spread across all levels of society. What originally stemmed from a good intention to alleviate suffering ultimately evolved into a nationwide public disaster.
This crisis is like a modern version of the “Opium Wars.” Today, the wave of legalization of “recreational marijuana” is even more worrying. Once the floodgates are opened, the profit chains and underground forces associated with drugs emerge, bringing about a host of social security issues. This is not baseless worry but the actual consequence of reality.
Similarly, misalignment can also be seen in the judicial reform movements promoting “sentencing reduction” and “zero imprisonment” ideology. Some leftist groups negate the meaning of punishment, focusing only on “care,” advocating that prisons are an “outdated system,” and believing that true “progress” lies in restorative justice – “not including police or prisons but focusing on healing.”
But the question arises: if crime no longer entails consequences, where will the opportunity for redemption come from? When prisons become “centers for meditation” and punishment turns into “therapeutic experiences,” prisons are likely to become overcrowded.
Behind these phenomena reflects a common psychology: the avoidance of hardship. Whether it is pain relief through medication or judicial leniency, both stem from a belief that people should not suffer. In contemporary society, “enduring hardship” seems to have become an outdated term. People pursue comfort and reject suffering. However, if this concept is taken to the extreme, it ultimately leads to the vicious cycle of painkiller addiction and deteriorating public safety.
These tragedies remind us: suffering is not an enemy but a teacher. It teaches restraint, reflection, and change. Pain and punishment both serve a purpose – they are the alarm bell of life, the boundary of behavior.
Buddhism preaches “enduring suffering to eliminate karma,” which speaks to a profound wisdom of life: karma is the accumulation of past actions, and suffering is the manifestation and repayment of karma. When one is willing to face pain, not evade it, and learn from it, true inner transformation can take place. On the contrary, if one excessively seeks “pain-free” existence, not only will the body be enslaved by drugs, but the soul will also be numbed by tolerance.
The middle path is the wisdom most needed in today’s society. It is not about denying pain relief but understanding the meaning of pain; it is not about rejecting prison reform but acknowledging the necessity of punishment. Enduring hardship is not regressive but a form of purification.