There are a lot of smart and easy things, many of which I love. This is because I believe that life is basically smart and easy. Most of us do, it would seem. On the other hand, it was pointed out to me that pain has value too. To this end we should not be afraid of other people’s sadness (or our own). Perhaps mutual sadness is the crack in the wall of plentiful steak. New joys reside on the other side.