Question: Why is suffering essential to human development?
             Thesis: Suffering is essential because it provides us with ways to grow and better ourselves, to become more fully human.
             Development: Suffering, in itself, is absolutely essential to humans. It provides the means by which we continually grow and transform ourselves. Whether we like it or not, we must endure some kinds of suffering in order to progress in our lives. Whether it be failing a test, crashing a car, or losing a loved one, we cannot avoid suffering. Our response to the suffering, however, is what determines our growth. We can take the Freudian "Eros" philosophy and learn from a failed test or a crashed car, or we can take the "Thanatos" way, isolating ourselves from the suffering, trying to create a world where we live in mindless bliss. Eros is the only way that we can move forward through life. The Dalai Lama, in a 1996 speech, gave the example of human intelligence as a source for suffering. He said, "So unfortunately, intelligence can sometimes create a quite unhappy state of mind. In this sense, it becomes another source of human misery. Yet, at the same time, I think that ultimately intelligence is the tool with which we can overcome all the conflicts and differences."1 Intelligence, which on one hand can cause immense suffering, is also the single most important gift we have as human beings. This idea can be summed up in the common phrase "No pain, no gain."2. Commonly used in sports, the essence of this phrase suggests that without enduring some suffering, we will have nothing to show for ourselves.
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