Well, I don't remember being conscious before I took on this human form, so it's reasonable to believe that I won't be conscious once my human body dies. Sure, consciousness will exist in some form, because other people will be conscious. But it won't be me, not in the common sense that the terms "you" and "me" are understood.

I agree that I'd be a different person if I'd had different experiences. But that's like saying "if the colour blue was red it would be red". I agree that growth can come from overcoming challenging experiences. But sometimes, people face challenges that are too big and they don't overcome them and don't become better people.

Given the choice between experiencing pleasure and experiencing pain, or happiness and sadness, which would you choose?

And if you saw someone in pain, and you were able to help, would you tell them to just embrace it and learn from the experience?