To enjoy is to suffer

You can only truly enjoy something if you have suffered a certain amount to get it.

Would you agree? For me, this pattern of punishment and reward has become a fundamental truth of life. When you're cycling, downhills are but a cheap thrill if not for the crushing uphills. The wonderful cooldown around sunset is best after having suffered through a very hot day. And, speaking from an introverts perspective, time alone is best enjoyed after a period of tiring social interactions with others. (Which, from an extroverts perspective, can be seen as: quality time spent with others is best appreciated after by oneself for too long).

There are tricks around it. One can use air-conditioning to escape the hot day. One can use a car or a train to get up the hill and then cycle down from there. But it diminishes from the experience. Balance is needed between enjoyment and suffering. If you find yourself enjoying life too much (according to your own internal enjoy-o-meter), or if you find that the things you used to enjoy a lot have now become bland, then it's time for you to suffer. Get out and start suffering.

To suffer is to enjoy.

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