Crises disrupt lives.They bring hardship and even tragedy. But they can also clarify what is truly important and bring out the best in humanity.
Americans have long enjoyed unprecedented levels of wealth.The astonishing array of goods, services and conveniences available to us has enabled us to solve or at least alleviate problems that previous generations considered intractable.
Yet this multitude of blessings can also lead us to expect life to be painless and free from disappointment, tragedy and heartbreak.
Shocks like the pandemic now shaking society remind us of an unalterable truth: life is, indeed, hard.There will never be a time when we have conquered pain, suffering and misfortune once and for all.