“Men at ease have contempt for misfortune . . .” (Job 12:5)

The truth of this maxim is well documented. Youth, under the protective sponsorship of parents and elders, feel bullet-proof and hazard everything for good times. People living in developed lands within safety nets of security and health benefits, frequently suppose that misfortune in the world is a rare phenomenon. And, as in Job’s story, men and women yet untouched by disaster feel free to pass judgment on those who are not so lucky. They show their contempt for misfortune by supposing that their apparent immunity is deserved.