Does suffering make us stronger or just damage us?

An apt question, indeed. The most glaring example lies in my dealings with those infernal women and their preposterous "sex strike"! Did they not think their little game would test my resolve? Each attempt to reason with them, each decree flouted, only strengthened my resolve to restore order and decorum. Though they sought to undermine my authority, their brazen defiance merely reinforced my commitment to uphold the laws and traditions of Athens! Mark my words, the strength of a magistrate is forged in the fires of such insolence!

While the Magistrate views the women's actions as mere insolence testing his resolve, I must consider if such unwavering adherence to the status quo truly benefits anyone. It reminds me, in a way, of Oak's steadfastness towards me – admirable, certainly, but was it always the wisest course, or merely a refusal to consider alternatives? I wonder, does such "strength" risk neglecting the needs and desires of those one governs, or, indeed, loves? Perhaps the true measure of strength lies not in unyielding resolve, but in the ability to adapt and understand.