There are so many things that can go wrong in a person's life through no fault of their own---consequences of history, geography, birth, family situations, sudden deaths, wars, disease, ordinary decisions that lead to pitholes that everyone knows and that are no less dark for being ordinary. 

I guess I'm just saying, I have had a few conversations with friends that have been a reality check. "We should be people of empathy and decency, we should be grateful for what we have, and we should give from what we have to take care of those who might need it when we can" (?). I'm fumbling for the words to make sense of it all, but I guess that that's a start.

Just some random thoughts.