Unable to determine what they can or cannot change, some men attempt to
“rewrite reality,” i.e., to alter the nature of the metaphysically given. Some
dream of a universe in which man experiences nothing but happiness—no pain, no
frustration, no illness—and wonder why they lose the desire to improve their
life on earth. Some feel that they would be brave, honest, ambitious in a world
where everyone automatically shared these virtues—but not in the world as it
is. Some dread the thought of eventual death—and never undertake the task of
living.