I enjoyed reading your essay. The topic of suffering is a foundational experience of our existence. We know no one escapes it. Your proposed Goldilocks Continuum works only in hindsight. We may only judge suffering after acknowledging the benefit, if any. This perspective is religious. Beneficial compared to what? I think to achieve virtue. Virtue can be claimed by the faithful as well as atheists and so virtue itself is only a means. For the faithful, virtue is a means to align with God’s purpose for us. For the atheist, virtue is a means to be a better (?) more complete (?) better example (?) of human. Both may agree that being virtuous is better for all. The meaning of virtue is clear to the religious believer. It is the action of faith. For the atheist, it gets tricky. Atheism walks the knife edge between the purpose of our existence and nihilism. Nihilism, regardless of current popularity, goes nowhere and ultimately is self-defeating. This leaves atheism with a logical gap, finding purpose in life and especially suffering. Your essay points to the difficulties this poses.