Is life ever really fair? With all the talk about equality and leveling the playing field, I wonder if that is ever really possible? There may be some areas that life can be made easier for some but every situation is different. Is it fate, circumstances or poor life choices that lead to the the unfairness we see in life?
Where does society step in to ease these inequities?
Is it fair that new parents have to bury their 8 month old who dies of leukemia? Is there social program to end their hardships?
Any illness not caused by lifestyle that strikes the young is more than unfair. Childhood diabetes relies on costly insulin for survival. How do we compensate for their hardships?
Is it fair that a tender age girl is abused and her childhood is stolen? Can society do anything to change what she lost?
Is it fair that a person works their entire life gives to others and then is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s spend their twilight years just existing? No joy, no understanding of life around them.
Is it fair for an infant to be born into poverty and an addictive mother? Can they overcome this difficult start and prosper in life?
What we may deem as unfair, our minor little day-to-day annoyances, are really nothing at all to compared to the many who know real suffering in the world. For them, I would say life really does not seem to be fair.
When I was in my twenties I knew a lady, Anita, who was in her 60’s and she shared this nugget on life and fairness with me. “ Life is not fair, however if we all hung our troubles on a clothesline for everyone to see and we were given the opportunity to choose a line of troubles —- we would return to our own line.”
Many times over the years I have thought of her and her simple wisdom. In life we all face obstacles and hardships.
The most successful people I know that overcome the obstacles in life are those who keep going. They work hard, they get up even when it is hard, they change the things they can — they don’t quit.
So often we do not know the burdens people are carrying but think of those you do know. List your troubles and imagine you had theirs. Would you trade?
All is not fair or equitable in this life; yet life is a gift. Live it.
Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 – ESV