The birth of an emotion

Long ago, someone lent me a book called "The Kids' Book of Questions", which contained questions that kids often ask, that strike at the very heart of a matter. Like "What happens when someone dies?" and "If I color my hair green will you still walk with me to the mall?"
In my then-energetic state, I wrote down many of those questions, and I've gone back to them sometimes and watched some answers change over the years, while some remain the same.
One of these questions was, "If someone gave you a magic potion that will take away pain forever, would you drink it?" (Sort of like the blue pill-red pill scenario in the Matrix, maybe?) My first impulse was to say hell yeah! Until I discussed it with a friend, who as vehemently said no. That surprised me, because he was one of those soulful brooding types who struck me as being constantly depressed. He then wisely pointed out that if he obtained the magic to never feel any pain, how would he feel any joy?
Because isn't that what most emotions are? The absence of their opposite emotion? Happiness is more obvious to someone who has experienced unhappiness. Siddhartha became the Buddha only because he witnessed death, disease and suffering in a life that was completely devoid of it till then.
Thus, we come to Aarti's Third Law of Emotionality*:
"There cannot exist an emotion without an opposite, if unequal, and maybe hitherto not experienced, emotion"
A corollary: "The greater the intensity of experienced emotion, the larger the hypothetical space comprising the possibility of experiencing its opposite emotion"
*Important Note: These laws are utterly volatile, subject to change at whim and fancy of law-maker, and if not changed, possibly apply to her alone!

There will be laughter after pain;
There will be freedom after strain;
Lost chances will return again;
Although every boon has its bane,
Not every effort is in vain!

Sorry about semi-manic-depressive-incomprehensible ramblings...felt the need to unburden a little and rhyme a lot today!