u/sIRmOFO

If life is determined, and free will does not exist, then a person has no real control over what happens to them or how they respond. In that case, consciousness can feel tragic: you are aware of your suffering, but you cannot ultimately do anything to escape it.

For someone whose life is mostly good, the absence of free will might feel comforting or even freeing. They can simply experience life as a pleasant ride. But for someone whose life is full of pain, the same idea becomes horrifying. They are not freely choosing their path; they are simply forced to experience a nightmare they did not choose and cannot control.

So if determinism is true, consciousness seems deeply unfair. Some people are determined to enjoy life, while others are determined to suffer through it. The unlucky person is not just suffering; they are conscious of their suffering while being powerless to change the fact that they must experience it.

Edit: My point was more that consciousness itself can be seen as tragic from the perspective of an unlucky person. I don’t really care that much about fairness.