I was wondering about this even earlier, but did not come to fully realize my need to understand it until I was 17. Teenage heart-break was the catalyst. The intensity of that emotional pain took me completely by surprise. It killed me. In the sense that I was psychologically crushed out of existence. I will spare you the details of that experience here, I just wanted you to know about my initiation into this quest.
Psychologists and Psychiatrists have a growing understanding of the psychology of emotional pain. Enough to help many people manage their pain, even sometimes heal from it. And there are all kinds of experiences that can trigger emotional pain. Tragic loss being one of the deepest and most difficult pains we must contend with.
But my driving question was not how to deal with pain, I wanted to know why we are designed to even experience such a thing. Why are humans capable of experiencing such intense emotional agony? And if you do NOT think it is by design, you are not paying attention. And not paying attention can be dangerous.
I belief I have found the answer. It is actually quite beautiful and exciting. When I asked, "Why are we designed to experience such terrible pain?" I did not realize that I was also asking, "What is the purpose of life?". They are really the same question.
