"To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering" ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
My primary criticism of Epicureanism is its belief that pain is the ultimate evil, and that life’s goal is to eliminate it entirely in pursuit of tranquillity. I could not disagree more with our Greek friend. I firmly believe that pain and suffering are not just one way to build character—they are the only way. Without struggle, we cannot develop endurance. Without struggle, without pain, there is no endurance. To avoid pain is to deny yourself the chance to grow into your full potential.
I’ve had moments where life has beaten me to my knees, where I’ve felt the urge to yell unheard prayers into the void, hoping for solace from some higher power. It’s a feeling all too common, but no matter how many times I’ve fallen, I’ve managed to stand back up. I wasn’t born with unshakable resilience. My natural instinct was to lose once and roll over. But through struggle, I found within myself an unrelenting ability to persevere. Each fall strengthened my spirit, my character, and my honour.
I’m not here to romanticize suffering or preach some melancholic nonsense about chasing pain. Nor am I here to bore you with the “floating rock argument.” Nihilists often miss the point: perspective. Even if we’re just specks in a vast universe, whatever we endure will feel like the end of the world to us. And that matters. Your pain is real. It’s significant. But I believe that every one of you—yes, you—possesses untapped potential far greater than you realize.
Life will always be painful. We, as humans, have been both blessed and cursed with rationality, emotion, and by consequence, mental pain. I agree with Epicurus that mental pain is far worse than physical—it lingers, it defies time, and it torments the body through the anguish of the mind. Yet I vehemently reject his suggestion to avoid pain altogether.
When you find yourself at your breaking point, weak in the knees, screaming to a God who may or may not be there, don’t run from it. Embrace it. Find within yourself the strength to stand back up, raise your fist to the air, and hold your head high. You have the power to overcome every setback, no matter how insurmountable it feels. I’ve fallen more times than I can count, and every time, I’ve stood back up. Why? How? Because I’ve come to believe in the boundless power of mental strength.
Physical triumphs are fleeting. The person who can lift a car might impress you for a moment, but the person who conquers relentless mental anguish and emerges stronger is eternally remarkable.
Virtue, as I’ve defined it before, means living in accordance with nature. While humans benefit from the fruits of the free mind, that same freedom has made us complacent. A glance at the animal kingdom reveals extraordinary feats of endurance. The Arctic fox, emaciated and alone, presses forward through an unrelenting blizzard, the wind howling like a relentless adversary. It searches tirelessly for food, ignoring the echoes of its own desperation, until its very last breath.
To live in accordance with nature is not only to reason but also to confront the curses that come with the blessings of the mind. It is to endure. So, I urge you, dear reader: do not falter. No matter the circumstances, find your passion. Pursue your purpose. And when life beats you to your knees, when the storm is raging and everything feels lost, rise. Rise, because within you lies the strength to overcome. And through suffering, you will find the seed of your greatest potential.
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