“You will make yourself aware of the fragility of your own privilege.”

Have you ever not had your life totally figured out? Did you take a semester off school, get an unexpected injury? Then you know how quickly this world is willing to boot you out.

If you haven’t had that experience yet, just wait: it will come. I don’t wish any evil upon you. But some well-educated, practical, financially stable person gets thrown one of life’s curve balls every day.

Holding fast to loved ones in their not-so-lucky chapters (or not-so-lucky lives) provides an invaluable perspective on what is constant in this world and what is not.

I’d love to go farther and say that the people you love when their chips are down are more likely to return the favor. I’m not sure if that’s true. Either way, good people is good people.

Knowing what you can rely on in this world teaches you how to build a life that won’t crumble away with life’s misfortunes, and that, in itself, is a grand security. Let’s take friendship seriously, throw ourselves unabashedly into the lives of those who need us most, and see what good it does.

Veronica S. Wickline ’16, an ancient history concentrator, lives in Kirkland House.