<p>Having read many posts in CC I feel more strongly than ever that life is not fair to many. The range in salaries of people is very wide indeed. It is heart-wrenching to see many, students and parents, with very modest income, suffering from debilitating disease or enduring the pain of divorce or unhappy childhood/marriages. I really feel for children from families with multiple issues listed above. Sometimes even if none of the issues exist parents refuse to contribute to the child's college education, which is very sad. And the colleges keep increasing fees year after year. Added to this is the issue of joblessness, which varies from year to year of course, but when the economy tanks the suffering only multiplies. </p>
<p>Well, it’s true that life is unfair. I saw a story on the news one day of a woman who had lost all three of her sons. One was murdered, another was killed in an accident (can’t remember if it was a military deal or some other random event), and then the third one was murdered in some kind of robbery.</p>
<p>Yes, life is not fair to the majority of people who inhabit this planet. Whenever I would get down, I had a friend who reminded me that I had plenty to eat every day and was therefore better off than many. Counting my blessings helps me also.</p>
<p>Everyone should assume that they will experience a crisis or two in their lives, and they should assume that most people they meet will have experienced the same. This will make you a more compassionate person who understands your fellow man better, experiences more range of emotion, and appreciates what it means to be human and be alive.</p>
<p>I dislike the phrase ‘life’s not fair’. It implies that somehow we should all come out of a mold exactly the same as each other and not only will that never happen, we’re all better off that it doesn’t. It’s good that there is a variety of people from all different kinds of backgrounds in the world including people who had to struggle to get where they are and sometimes are better for it. </p>
<p>It’s not easy to understand why some people are born with serious physical/mental issues but even then sometimes it has effects that are unpredictable. Would Stephen Hawking be as focused and have as developed of a brain as he has without his challenges? Would the medical field have developed all of the treatments if not for money raised by people being motivated by some of these challenged people?</p>
<p>And just today, someone who many would think had it made, well-liked by millions, wealthy, successful in almost any objective outside view, committed suicide - Junior Seau (NFL - famous San Diego Charger).</p>
<p>So rather than think in terms of ‘life isn’t fair’ which usually translates to ‘I don’t have as much as that guy - woe is me’, just do the best you can with the hand you were dealt. No matter what way you look at it there are likely millions of people with greater challenges in life than you.</p>
<p>Consider what would happen if life was more, ehem, fair.</p>
<p>Using my birth country of Elbonia as a reference, fair means you pass the National entrance exam and you’re in, for free. Medical school? free. Architecture? free. Poli Science? free. Books? free. It worked for a while until there were far more graduates than jobs, and a cab ride in downtown Bornyasherk will likely feature a cabbie with a JD or an MBA (diploma proudly displayed next to his taxi operator license).</p>
<p>Elbonia, just like the US, suffers from a serious lack of skilled trades. Need an MBA? hail a cab. Need a machinist or a nurse? import one from one of the -istan countries or else… </p>
<p>To quote Dwight Schrute, "In the wild, there is no health care. In the wild, health care is, “Ow, I hurt my leg. I can’t run. A lion eats me. I’m dead.”</p>
<p>There are so many ways life is terrific just because a child was born in this time and in the United States. Just those two facts, (alive now and living in the U.S.) are amazing gifts that we should be grateful for every day. Life in the third world? Life just 80 years ago when kids died all the time from measles, infections, flu, appendicitis? We are lucky to be here, in this time and place.</p>
<p>In some parts of the world, rape is a weapon of war. I become upset when some of the more conservative members of my church congregation talk of the terrible state of morals in America…we don’t have large groups of soldiers raping females from 18 months to 80 as an act of war against groups of people they don’t like.</p>
<p>It’s not that I expect life to be fair and balanced for everyone, but it does seem unfair that some people endure more than their share of pain and suffering ( such as losing more than one child, being seriously ill, etc ) I try not to sweat the small stuff and if I’m upset over something, work hard at putting things in perspective but it isn’t always easy.</p>
<p>My family is one of those (like most, I think) that are touched by several of the problems listed in the OP, and there have been times where I have struggled with that. But, in my short life, I have been able to observe that most things seem to achieve balance at some point, even if it isn’t immediate… especially for those of us who are lucky enough to be able to meet our basic needs. And sometimes things work out for the better even if for a time it looked like things would never be okay again. You just never know what’s around the corner… no need to be gloomy.</p>
<p>Life is NOT fair. We were never promised that it would be. And thank goodness for that, because if we all got what we “deserved” many of us would be very upset.</p>
<p>“Everyone should assume that they will experience a crisis or two in their lives, and they should assume that most people they meet will have experienced the same. This will make you a more compassionate person who understands your fellow man better, experiences more range of emotion, and appreciates what it means to be human and be alive.”</p>
<p>VERY well said. </p>
<p>The only thing that I would add is that your responsibility to the world is equal to the privileges of your relative position within in.</p>
<p>I am the OP. I consider myself to be somewhat fortunate. My initial post was not about my situation. I was merely expressing sympathy for many in this forum, and even outside, who are not so fortunate. I have been deeply moved, from time to time, by the plight of many posters in various forums. BTW it was nice to see words of wisdom from all those who responded. I thank you for that.</p>
