We often think that our affairs, great or small, must be tended continuously and in detail, or our world will disintegrate, and we will lose our places in the universe.

We all screw our children up somehow: I may not lose my temper or withdraw my love or fill him with guilt, but I go away a lot, often to places that aren't very safe.

If we lose this game, our hope of winning any of the first three places will slip away.