The tragedy of life, in particular, shocks me. Many people are pessimistic because of the tragedy of life, but I think life is valuable because of its tragedy. I made this point a few years ago in Beauty Without Words. Here's a quote: The world we live in is the most perfect, just because it is the most imperfect. On the face of it, this makes no sense. But there is truth in it. If the world were perfect, the life of human beings would be -- better, the life of gods; Worse, the life of a...