Mortification for Dummies

Mortification is a word with different meanings depending on the context. Let's start by understanding its most common definition. Have you ever done something embarrassing or made a mistake that made you feel really ashamed or humiliated? That feeling of intense embarrassment and shame is called mortification. It's like when you accidentally spilled juice all over yourself in front of your classmates and everybody started laughing. Remember that feeling of wanting to disappear and wishing the ground would swallow you up? That's exactly what mortification means!

But mortification can also have another meaning, and it's a bit more complicated. Sometimes, when a person wants to improve themselves or become a better version of who they are, they might engage in a practice called self-mortification. Self-mortification involves deliberately enduring discomfort or pain, usually in a physical sense, as a way to achieve a spiritual or personal goal. It can involve things like fasting, wearing uncomfortable clothing, or even inflicting pain on oneself in a controlled way, all in the pursuit of personal growth or as an act of religious devotion. It might sound odd, but some people believe that going through these hardships helps them become stronger and more resilient.

So, basically, mortification is all about feelings of intense shame and embarrassment or willingly putting yourself through difficult experiences in order to grow or achieve something greater. It's important to remember that mortification is a natural part of being human, and we all experience it at some point in our lives. It's just another way of learning and growing, even if it is a bit uncomfortable.