A CASE OF GAIN BEFORE PAIN

One of the most widely used idioms in the English language is, “No pain, no gain.” Literally it means that suffering precedes enjoyment. However, in the case of procreation, the idiom is reversed. During coitus, there is immense enjoyment by both parties but during the expulsion of the product of the coitus into the world, there is intense pain and suffering by the female which is in turn transferred to the male who feels every contraction with her female partner. And it ends with immense gain – a baby. Gain – pain – gain!

Other instances of enjoyment (gain) leading to suffering (pain) include smoking, alcohol abuse, gallivanting in school, and drug use. The pains are respectively cancer, liver failure, unemployment, and disease/homelessness/death. Therefore, the idiom, “No gain, no pain is equally correct.