Q: Why does it seem suffering gets worse when we have more conveniences and more scientific breakthroughs than all of history?

A: In every country throughout the world there are people suffering—it has been like this since the beginning. Personal pain has been with us since God told Eve she would have pain in childbirth. Some pain is visible, and some is intensely private. Suffering comes in all forms—physical, emotional, spiritual. Some people have their share of pain more than others, but all experience it; it’s part of life.

Every generation sees their era as filled with the greate...