Enough with the fluff (1)

Here is an axiom that everyone has heard and many like to use to validate - or even flaunt - the pain they've been through, either real or perceived; to tinge their plight with a glow of would-be heroism - and meaning. (And why not? It's a valid attempt, a struggle noble enough.)

WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU, MAKES YOU STRONGER.

It might.
Sometimes it does.
But quite often the "strength" gained is no such thing: it is just a hardening of the heart, perhaps the loss of illusions, a loss of confidence in other people - sometimes in oneself, too: in oneself as the "lucky" individual one used to be, the one who always seemed to land on the feet.

And sometimes, the depletion of vital resources, the losses sustained are so great that one might as well be dead.

And by the way: the man who uttered these famous words ended his days in an insane asylum.

Before subscribing to any maxim, it's always wise to check the credentials of the one who "said it first".