Pain is Necessary

Elder Orson F. Whitney (1855–1931) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote:
“No pain that we suffer … is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of … patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer … , especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we [came] here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven.” 7

Man or Mouse?

It seems to me that when we live our lives by going through the motions, merely tackling one task or chore after another without giving much thought to where we came from, what we're here for, and where we're ultimately wanting to go... we've left behind our great and noble potential and have lowered ourselves to the level of animals whose thoughts and lives revolve around satisfying carnal urges and needs.
God gave us all the inherent talents and intelligence needed to rise above the ordinary and become royal heirs to all He has. I, for one, would rather be a daughter of God with all it's blessings, gifts, and duties, than to be just another creature going about my business with no thought of yesterday, today or tomorrow.