You know what they say: "That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger." (Actually, that's what Nietzsche says, and everyone else repeats.)
Let's reflect on this for a moment. Why don't we apply this idea to, I don't know, say, child molestation.
Is there anyone who would attempt to argue that molesting children makes them stronger? That would sure lead to an odd workout regiment, don't you think? I'd like to see the look on Susie's mommy's face when the school nurse recommends lots of calcium and three sets of "icky touching" a day at ten reps each to build strong, healthy bones.
No, not everything makes you stronger. How you deal with stuff determines whether it makes you stronger or not. It's the overcoming of adversity that makes you stronger, not the adversity itself. Plenty of people let adversity destroy them. Adversity only makes you stronger if you can say after the fact: "I pulled that off. "That was the biggest pain in my ass, but I beat that bastard."
Saying "that which doesn't kill you only makes you stronger" is such a lame rationalization for having a shitty life. "Well, my entire family went over a cliff in a station wagon during our annual camping trip, all because I was stupid enough to leave the car in neutral again while I was out taking a piss. But you know what? That which doesn't kill you only makes you stronger."
Yeah.
Maybe you're stronger than your mom, dad, in-laws, cousins, brothers, and sisters who took the nose-dive off the cliff, screaming on the top of their lungs until they were physically able to see the backs of their own heads. Sure, you're stronger than them. If I were a Las Vegas odds maker, I'd probably give anyone at least two-to-one in an arm wrestling match against a flattened in-law.
If there's any meaning to "strength" in the sense at hand, it's "an increased ability to take action in difficult circumstances". How would you gain that increased ability? I'd say it boils down to two things. One, the knowledge that comes from experience. That is, knowing how to deal with difficult stuff in general, and how to deal with specific kinds of situations.
More importantly, though, strength comes from increased self-confidence: knowing that you can do it.
And this isn't the bogus pseudo-self-esteem garbage they teach in school - the "Help Johnny feel good about himself" crap.
