The Courage to Help
The Courage to Help: A Story of Friendship and Action Denzil Jayasinghe 3 min read 1 In the quiet halls of St. Benedict’s College in 1971, I learned one of life’s most profound lessons: sometimes, the greatest act of friendship is simply paying attention and having the courage to act. I was in grade 10 with my close friends, preparing for general certificate exams. Among them was Richard, a usually cheerful boy whose sudden withdrawal from our group became impossible to ignore. Where once stood a bright-eyed student with an engaging smile now sat a shadow of himself, often lost in distant thoughts, his gaze fixed on the roof. The transformation was stark and troubling. While others might have dismissed these changes as teenage moodiness, something in me recognised the signs of more profound distress. Perhaps it was my own past experiences that made me more attuned to the silent signals of suffering. The decision to approach Richard came naturally, though the conversation that followed