Why the pain?

Why do people have to go through so much pain? And why do some go through so much more than others? I once read a book...I don't remember the name and the author's name escapes me too, but it was about the author's belief that we choose our lives here on earth. She wrote that when we are in the spiritual realm, we get together with other Souls and we volunteer to take on the roles we will play out in the material world. We supposedly agree to do this in order to help each other learn whatever it is we need to learn in order elevate to a higher spiritual level. For instance, we choose our parents, siblings, children, friends, casual aquaintences, etc. We choose the circumstances in our lives, down to the most horrid ones. When we have worked out all the details of what our lives will be, and the roles we will taken on here on earth, and everyone is in total agreement, and we finally enter this world--we forget our agreement in order to fully live out the roles we chose and better learn the lessons we agreed we needed to learn.

I don't know if all that is true, but something about this belief resonated within me. It made it easier for me to accept certain things in my life because I do not buy the idea that "God" tests us, or that He/She/It decides what we need to go through in this life. I mean, how can that be? If we were created by that "God" Force or Energy, then we are a part of that Force or Energy--and that would mean that that Force or Energy truly is our parent, and what parent would put their children through what some of us experience in life just to help us learn what we need to learn? I mean really, even if it were in my power, as a parent, I would never put my son through anything painful just because I knew that by doing so I would be helping him to grow spiritually. A parent's first priority is to keep the child safe from any sort of pain or harm. And the parent will always be there to love and support the child in whatever path the child chooses. Sometimes that love and support comes in the form of having to let go, no matter how painful and hard that may be. And that is where this particular author's belief has brought me hope and peace of mind, in the fact that in the ulitmate end, in the spirit realm when we meet again--we will all be OK. Sometimes to me that is the only explanation that makes any sense of all the horrible things that happen in this world and in our lives. For our individual lives and especially for humanity's sake, I hope this belief is true.