Why should anything hurt your life if it can't make you better or worse as a person? We can't think that the universe made these mistakes out of ignorance. And we can't think it knew about them but was too weak to prevent them or arrange them better. The universe isn't so lacking in power or skill that it would let all things—good and bad—happen randomly to everyone. So life and death, honor and shame, work and pleasure, wealth and poverty—these things happen to good and bad people alike. But they are neither good nor bad in themselves. They are neither shameful nor worthy of praise by their nature.
But why should that be thought to hurt and prejudice a man's life in this world, which cannot any ways make man himself the better, or the worse in his own person? Neither must we think that the nature of the universe did either through ignorance pass these things, or if not as ignorant of them, yet as unable either to prevent, or better to order and dispose them. It cannot be that she through want either of power or skill, should have committed such a thing, so as to suffer all things both good and bad, equally and promiscuously, to happen unto all both good and bad. As for life therefore, and death, honour and dishonour, labour and pleasure, riches and poverty, all these things happen unto men indeed, both good and bad, equally; but as things which of themselves are neither good nor bad; because of themselves, neither shameful nor praiseworthy.