The world hasn’t been short on suffering lately. Mass shootings. International war. A global pandemic that doesn’t want to go away. Spiking murders and overdoses. Ruinous inflation and collapsing finances. Each disaster, big or small, creates a story of immeasurable loss on those it afflicts and a little bit of heartbreak for those just hearing about it. We live on the brink, all of us frail humans on this stormy globe. Each passing wave might be the one that finally lifts you up and smashes you against the rocky shore. If you didn’t realize it before, you’ve probably had some occasion to consider it these past few years.