Bad times are inevitable in everybody’s lives, but some question: what good can come from the bad? First published on April 7, 2014, the article “What Suffering Does,” by New York Times columnist and PBS News Hour commentator, David Brooks, digs into this idea through claims that suffering plays a major role in people’s lives because it helps them grow as people (Behrens). Brooks states that happiness is just one piece of “the human drama” and suffering is the other (Behrens). Brooks’ topic of discussion is relevant in everyone’s lives because it is a topic everyone experiences first-hand, and he logically argues through examples that support his claims throughout the article.
Brooks’ biggest points are that suffering provides opportunities to get an outsider’s point of view, better understand what others are experiencing, and help people learn more about themselves (567).…