In L. B. Cowan’s “Streams in the Desert,” a book of meditations given me by a friend, a recent entry has this line: “Who can estimate how much we owe to our suffering and pain?”

That’s a sentiment that runs against the American grain in this century. In 2023, for instance, some 60 million Americans sought treatment for their mental and emotional health, a figure double the size of that in 2006. In 2022, approximately 1 in 10 prescriptions in 43 states were for treatment of anxiety or depression. Clearly, an army of therapists and psychologists, reinforced by medications like Zoloft and Lexapro, stand at the ready to alleviate mental and emotional pain, mechanics and repair shops for broken hearts and strained nerves.

But to return to that question: How can we possibly be indebted t

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