Life Isn’t Fair
Sorry this one took so long, I’ve been very busy lately.
You and I both have heard that life isn’t fair since we were kids. It started with a simple “…but Billy’s mommy got him the toy, it isn’t fair” but then progressed to “…but I’m 17 years old! Billy’s mom let’s HIM stay out after midnight. It isn’t fair!”
The reply? “Too bad, life’s not fair.” You’ll encounter this same statement the rest of your life, so I think it is worth spending some time examining exactly why life isn’t fair.
Let’s start off with you being brought into this world. The moment your parents got it on and you were conceived, you got your one way ticket to Earth. By not having a choice whether this happens or not, life isn’t fair. Further, you have no choice where you live, which language you learn first, what food you eat, or your religion. Lack of choice at a young age is the main reason life isn’t fair.
Your parents’ genetics chose how you look, your natural talents, and much more. None of this can be changed. The level of income, behavioral predispositions, and social status of your parents affected your childhood. Whether for good or for bad, this wasn’t fair.
The cards are certainly stacked against a majority of kindergarten kids. Think of all that must be taken care of in order for them to have a proper, safe, nurturing environment:
- Regular meals.
- Clean clothes.
- Decent shoes.
- A decent place to sleep.
- No threat of insects like lice and fleas.
- At least one caring guardian, parent or otherwise.
- At the least, a decent public education.
- Eye and ear examinations.
- Vaccinations.
- Dental care.
- etc.
At this point you may think I am trying to hurt your feelings or make you feel guilty for ever saying that life isn’t fair, but that is absolutely not my goal. My goal is to implore you to realize that regardless of all the hardship and challenges you faced growing up, you got lucky.
You are in high school or college and what happens in your world is up to you or will be very soon. If you are in a country you hate, you can leave. Want to learn a new language and worship Zeus? Go for it. You now have a choice.
Life may not be fair, but use this lack of fairness as an opportunity, not a reason to give up. You’ve made it this far; it’s time to grab the reins.
Life’s level of difficulty is little more than the sum of your bad decisions.
If you want to live a healthy life, you can. While we sometimes judge happiness on material things, some people are happy to have enough medical supplies to keep their families healthy and a first aid kit for emergencies.