by John Lundholm
Just about every parent has heard the complaint of the unhappy child, "But that's not fair".
Consequently, just about every child has heard, "Life's not fair..."
One of the so-called marks of maturity is coming to an acceptance of the fact that life is not fair. Every mature mature adult knows that.
Well, I'm here to say that every mature adult is wrong. Life is fair. Not just just fair, but perfectly so.
Am I crazy? Do I have my head buried in the sand? How can I say life is fair?
Bad things happen to good people.
Evil deeds and evil people go unpunished.
The race is not always to the swift.
Nor the battle to the strong.
Nor honor to men of wisdom.
Before you get me wrong, I'm not talking about the sweet by-and-by pie-in-the-sky. I'm not talking about karma. I'm not talking about the world to come. I'm talking about this life we're all born into and exit at our death.
Let me explain myself. Noone chooses the circumstances of his or her own birth. Noone choose his or her innate capabilities, or temperament.
Furthermore, tragedy and misfortune befalls everyone. We choose our actions, to be sure, but we do not choose the consequences of our actions.
The hand life deals some is easier and more pleasant than the hand dealt to others, but--and here life is perfectly fair-- it is up to each person to play his or her hand as he or she wills. It is up to each person to make of life what he or she will.
Life is more than circumstances. Circumstances are less important than a person's response to them. Life is more than a person's capabilites and temperament. These are less important what a person does with them.
I recently had the pleasure of hearing W. Mitchell speak on this subject in Honolulu. Mitchell suffered a motorcycle accident that burned 65% of his body. Following this mishap he went on to start his own business employing thousands, and earned his commercial pilot license. Then he suffered another accident, a plane crash that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He then went on to become mayor of Creste Butte, Colorado and an internationally reknown motivational speaker. His message was simple: "It's not what happens, it's what you do with it that's important." If anyone has earned the right to say this Mitchell has.
Noone one is born with a guarantee of success or failure. No circumstance is a guarantee of happiness or misery.
Is there a practical application to this? Yes, simply to change your attitude. Life is not always pleasant or easy. Life is fair. Fair like a roll of the dice, fair like a hand of poker. Pay the hand you're dealt.
Copyright ©2001
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John Lundholm, M.A. R.N. is the author of numerous articles on health and success. A former licensed Psychotherapist, he is currently a motivational speaker, health counselor, a direct provider in Critical Care, and webmaster of The Good Life Now.8k.com Resources for Success and Personal Growth . This article may be reproduced, but only in its entirety including this information on the author.
