This is what I read in class when discussing Martin Agnes 3.

Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. Safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless. The successes and downfalls that you experience can create who you are, and the bad experiences can be learned from.