Nietzsche isn't simply saying art makes life prettier or easier—he's claiming that raw reality, confronted without aesthetic mediation, would destroy us psychologically. The "truth" here isn't gentle; it's the void, meaninglessness, or cruelty that lurks beneath our comforting stories. A person grieving a loss understands this instinctively: we don't recover through facts alone, but through music, ritual, or beauty that transforms the unbearable into something bearable. What matters is recognizing that art isn't decoration—it's a necessary tool of survival, as vital as food or shelter.