This essay addresses one of philosophy's oldest questions: why do bad things happen to good people? Written as a response to his friend Lucilius, Seneca argues that hardships are not punishments but training — opportunities sent by providence to strengthen virtue.
The essay draws on vivid analogies from athletics, military life, and nature to make its case that adversity is the forge of character.
"Truly, to be always happy and to pass through life without a mental pang is to be ignorant of one half of nature."
— Of Providence, 4