Q: Why do we get pleasure when reflecting upon past pains? In fact, they even seem to bring us more pleasure than the pleasures of the past, especially when shared with someone.
A: Because the events of the past have been corrected (mitigated), we feel sweetness in those old pains. It is a bit like our path: it isn’t sweet, because we want and suffer. But when we attain our goals, we take pleasure in the love for the Creator and our encounters with Him in past pains and disappointments.
It is like a person in love who yearns to meet his loved one and finally does. The intensity of the pleasure is a measure of the intensity of the yearning, the ability to aim the yearning at the desired object, and its duration.
In general, if one shares one’s feelings with another person, the two create a common vessel, a larger vessel for sensations. There is an additional feeling in that vessel: that of the other person. That is why it is more pleasant to share an experience than to experience something alone.