I’ve been thinking about how unfair life can be. All I have to do is read the news, the obituaries or think about the people I know who are dealing with cancer, the loss of a parent, discrimination, natural disasters. You might have you own list of how life is just not fair.
But what does fair really mean? What does a life that’s fair even look like? And does anybody have one?
One dictionary.com definition of fair is this: free from discrimination; impartial. And so I think…well, life is exactly that! Life is as impartial as it gets. No one is immune to any experience…because life is fair. Life does not discriminate or compare, it does not choose one over another.
Life isn’t about fairness at all. Life is about living. It is about showing up…maybe with tears and anguished, maybe angry and confused, maybe exhausted and worn to the bone. It is about showing up no matter what.
We aren’t responsible for what life throws our way…we are only responsible for how we catch it. Mary Oliver has it right. The only question is this:
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Indeed.
Paula
2 Responses
I feel many get frustrated and suffer anxiety because they resist the certainty of life’s moment to moment uncertainty. I agree show up and enjoy the journey!
I can’t think of how many times I’ve said that life just isn’t fair, without even thinking of the actual meaning of the word “fair”. Paula’s message has taught me to re-examine the concept of what is “fair” and to dig a little deeper into what it really means. Thanks Paula for the insightful observation!