Tragic Optimism - Rewriting The Rules

The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity—even under the most difficult circumstances—to add a deeper meaning to his life.

While many religious ideals include pain and suffering as necessary steps on the way to salvation, the ultimate goal is to be absolved from vulnerability. I argue that such absolution is not only impossible to attain but also not a goal worthy of our striving, since it would remove the care that animates our lives.