In a new book of personal essays, a man reflects on the value of true friendship

In the Iranian movie Children of Heaven, a young boy enters a running race to win the third prize, a pair of shoes. He aims to win the shoes for his little sister, who doesn’t have any footwear to wear to school. During practice runs, he consistently finishes ahead of everyone else. However, on race day, he intentionally does not run to come in first; instead, he desperately tries to finish in third place. He keeps looking back during the race and ultimately crosses the finish line, though he falls due to exhaustion. He asks the teacher who helps him up, “I finished third, didn’t I?” The teacher replies, “No, son, you finished first.” The boy cries upon hearing this, feeling like a loser despite being the winner. When he returns home, his little sister eagerly approaches him with hope, but the boy stands before her, his head drooping. The story ends with a reflection that some people, like the young boy, run all their miles for someone else.

I have ample material to fill a whole book, but I will attempt to introduce this person to you in just a few pages. I am talking about a very close friend of mine. To...

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