Somehow, we are meant to both accept suffering as a gift that we needed in order to become better people and refuse to let loss shove us out of our normal, happy, rosy, optimistic demeanor. Painful emotional states aren’t meant to last—they’re short-term pit stops on the way to a brighter and better (or at least more “normal”) you. Suffering makes you grow. It’s all part of that cultural storyline that glorifies transformation, while staunchly avoiding the reality of pain in the world.
