Why is it Important to Suffer in life?

    At some point in life, everyone suffers to some extent. Suffering is described to be any mental or physical pain that a person goes through. It may seem counterintuitive, but such obstacles are essential in life, especially if one wants to improve. According to the German philosopher Nietzsche, suffering provides the only test to determine a person's worth. Going through hardships generates more tolerance for life's many cruelties. Pain is inevitable in life; however, the effect can be minimized if one has suffered. 

    A prime example to illustrate this idea is in Candide by Voltaire. The main character, Candide, goes through a series of extremely unfortunate events, which builds his personality and knowledge. He has to go through intense mental pain, such as the thought that he might never see his love, Cunegonde, again, and significant physical pain, as he is whipped and maimed several times. Raised in a very sheltered environment, it is clear to the audience that Candide initially knows very little about the world's actual realities. As Candide's journey continues, he slowly realizes that his original optimistic perspective with people and the world is false and that things do not always happen for the best. Suffering led him to re-evaluate his misguided thought processes into one that makes the best out of anything thrown at him. In the end, he is almost indistinguishable from the person at the beginning of the book but has found a form of happiness in his farm. 

    Just like Candide, most kids have a deceptively positive outlook on life. By growing up and suffering more, they learn about the realities of life and model themselves to better fit in with this world to live a better life in the future. Without this struggle, there is no need to adapt to new circumstances that challenge a way of thinking, leading to rampant ignorance of the world's harsh realities.