Not fair
It’s not fair that I get to attend a Destination Wedding
in some fair southern city adorned with white sandy beaches
and you must sit home at the daily drudge, 40 hour work week
closer to retirement, no extra cash at week’s end.
It’s not fair that the doctor told her softly on the phone this week
“You have lymphoma.”
It’s not fair that he sports two good knees, hiking endless miles,
while she sits at home, wheelchair-bound.
It’s not fair that wealthy yachters tip champagne glasses toward Bimini
and buy four mansions.
It’s not fair that he starves in Rwanda, thin bones against dirt,
rampaged by AIDS.
It’s not fair you live in a country where speaking opinion rots you in prison.
It’s not fair, is it, that your politician didn’t win, that you missed the
lottery, that it’s not snowing yet?
Or perhaps you think it’s not fair that it’s snowing sideways and
you must travel on icy road to that doctor who will or won’t tell you
what you do or don’t want to hear.
It’s not fair, you must agree, that she has all the talent, grows the best tomatoes, weighs 130 pounds.
It’s not fair that more readers visit his blog, that he sports one million hits, oh no, it’s not fair, while she writes wonderful posts with only twenty visitors a day.
Life is not fair.
Tangled ice fishing wire
The haves and have-nots dance around each other, an eternal dance,
a tug-of-war, a roller-coaster of ups and downs.
If you’re up you worry you’ll lose it.
If you’re down you fuss it can’t be found.
“Life’s not fair,” you whisper to your child, crying broken-hearted because
he lost the ballgame, the girl said no, he flunked his algebra quiz.
You want it to be fair.
We’ve all bemoaned fate, frowned, compared, featured inner temper tantrums insisting upon equality, more dessert, less pain, trips to Antarctica, how about that Declaration of Independence?
You want everyone to get an equal slice of the pie, the cake, the joy!
You want everyone to eat enough, sing enough, travel enough, dance enough, shine with exuberant health.
Oh how you want this!
It’s not fair, oh no, it’s not fair…
yet in your deepest heart you dream this impossible dream
and try to reach deeper to share your gifts, your talent, your luck,
your pocketbook–here’s twenty bucks, make that a hundred–
if only life would listen to your plea,
if only that hungry child in Brooklyn would please please please
quit crying right now.
Let me in, oh heart
Wow! One of the most powerful blogs I’ve read in quite some time. If I can figure out how to do it, I would like to reblog this on my site, and of course give you the credit. This is worthy of printing out and passing around to everyone I know. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I thank you, Cecelia, for linking this to your blog. I thank you, thank you, thank you…a hundred times, or maybe more.
Life isn’t fair, it is true. I have found that by expecting this rather than being angered by it, I can remain more peaceful and compassionate. Not easy. I have had my share of “why me?” moments (or years, sometimes). Do I try to be fair in my dealings with others? Sure. Of course. But I am gradually losing the need for them and life to be fair back to me. Thanks for a lovely post, Kathy.
Accepting this can be a wonderful gift, a movement into peace. It takes people a long time sometimes to accept–I honor you, Celeste, for your willingness. I want to be more willing, too, day after day.
DESIRE!
Oh, Desire, that root…yes…there it is, shining its face at us, always, we humans.
Pingback: A Post You Must Read! | Inspired Vision
Thank you. I loved your blog!
Oh Kathy, you are so wise.
Here in Nova Scotia, as a way of commiserating, we say “What a sin! ”
What a sin, that child died. What a sin, you stubbed your toe. What a sin, you didn’t go to a destination wedding.
What a sin, that the three above statements are given merit.
What a sin, indeed. (Hey, what do you mean about me not going to the Destination Wedding??? Better not be a sin involved there. **grin**)
Kathy, I left out the word “equal” … What a sin, that the three above statements are given EQUAL merit.
Indeed! I loved what you shared, Sybil.
Powerful words that we can all relate to….life can be so unfair, this is true. How we “live” with that unfairness is key. Gently allowing everything to be as it is can help us to be less miserable. Easier said than done for sure. We are often guests are our own pity parties. Me included. It’s good for us to, once in awhile, realize that life is bigger than the unfairness…that there are abundant blessings all around us! We just need new eyes to see them. And when we focus on the joy of those blessings, the unfairness of life seems much less powerful. Treasure and celebrate the blessings in your life and we will celebrate alongside you! ♥
Gently allowing…oh, yes, what a gift! While easier said than done, it offers so much. Shall we choose to focus on the abundance? Our blessings, how they may come? I focus with you, dear Brenda…
very powerful!
Thank you, Rebekah. May power inspire us to accept the gifts we’re given… Thank you for pausing by my blog-hearth.
One wants everyone to be as happy, as blessed as one is… but it can never be so in this life. Acceptance is difficult…
Indeed, life doesn’t seem to offer equality. How do we accept this? I wonder so often…how do we fully accept what seems unfair…even though it might not be so.
Powerful words. One could analyze for years and still not reach the bottom of this conundrum
Thank you Ceceliafutch for bringing this blog to our attention..
I am so happy Cecilia sent this blog singing out further in the world! There IS no end to this conundrum, aren’t you right? I am also happy to meet you, purple borough.
Yep. Life is not fair. People often ask themselves: “Why me?”
Well… why not?
Excellent question! Excellent answer! Will we ever know? Can we only remain aware, without ignoring this powerful presence in our lives? Thank you for visiting my blog, Cardinal.
We are left with making the best of the talents and circumstances dealt us. Thought provoking post, thanks.
Oh yes, Dawn, aren’t we? Our gifts and talents are what we have, indeed, whatever the Universe has shared with us. Thank you!
Wonderful! My hat is off to you Miss Kathy.
I am glad you enjoyed, Miss Laurie.
You really did “say it all” … I laughed, I cried, I identified. What more could one want?
There is no more than that, Miss Susan. I love when we identify with one another.
You made me think – how do I feel about the unfairness? I think I don’t think about it often, except when I read about children who have nothing and think about those who are so wealthy they couldn’t possibly spend it all. I do not understand. I am thankful that those that can provide help, that they reach out to try to make things better.
Sometimes we don’t think about it…other times we reach deep into our pocketbooks. I wonder if we should think about it more, or simply be grateful for the richness in our own lives? There are no easy answers here. I have no answers…
……let me in, oh heart.
Maybe this says it all. What a beautiful post Kathy.
Oh my heart, let us in. Let us in, let us in. Thank you, sweet Colleen.
Kathy, I just love you for posts like this! Such wisdom. Such great writing. You are dear, my friend—————
Hugs,
Kathy
I love when the posts write themselves! I love that you are so wonderful. Thank you, Kath/Kathy…
In my training to become a Special Education teacher, my professors saw to it that our concepts of “fairness” were turned on their heads. We were made to understand that our students came to us with various disabilities and challenges be they physical, learning, emotional, or all of the above. Lamenting the fact that life “isn’t fair” for these children did none of us any good. Additionally, it was impressed upon us that the definition of “fair treatment” was a matter of giving each child what they needed, not giving each child the same, for it would be a great disservice to treat them all equally. My definition of “fairness” will never mean “equal” or even “similar.”
I guess I am comforted by the belief that we are all here for a reason…those reasons are as many and varied as we are. The “whys” can bring me to bafflement, and I will never understand how some atrocities can be….however, I look to my own definition of “fairness” to make sense of it all: we are all given challenges, gifts, pain, troubles, and blessings…not in equal measure, but perhaps in “fairness” we are given what we need for our soul to complete its mission on this Earth.
Great post…gives me food for thought.
Your *comment* is giving me food for thought! I’m especially provoked (in a good way) by your definition of “fairness” not meaning equal or similar. That’s a beautiful and new-to-me way of thinking about fairness– thank you!
And Kathy: I personally identified with many aspects of this post, and I love that you wrote it in a way to foster thought and discussion, not to judge or condemn those who sit on either side of that fairness fence. I don’t know how you manage to crank out such profound posts on a regular basis, but I’m grateful for your gift and for the mental and spiritual stimulation you provide! 🙂
To give each child, to give each of us…what we need…what a wonderful way of looking at it, KD (and Dana)! (I have no idea how I pound out these posts, sometimes daily, either. It’s a Mystery. But I am grateful to be a channel for the Universe, so that we can all think and ponder and share…) Nice to see you!
Thanks for keeping us down to earth, Kathy. There is always someone who has it worse.
Don’t they ever, Karma? I am glad you appreciate being down to earth, although, gosh, sometimes isn’t it fun to be up in the heavens, too? So appreciate you! And my Camera is still sulking in the corner, wondering when this “writing” spell is going to cease.
Tell Ms Rebel not to sulk – she will have much fun at the Destination Wedding!
Gosh, Karma, won’t she? However, she’s still sulking because she wants to take pics of snow and I am shivering and not wanting to go outside… Gosh, these cameras are uppity!!
True.
It is the way the world is structured. Why does this place get all the rain ? Why is that place a desert ? Why is this place covered in ice ? Why is there so much salt in the ocean’s waters ? There are “reasons”; but fair ?, as in the same for each and all (oops, that would be equal, not fair). Fair as in equally “good” or equal opportunities, we aren’t BORN “fair”. And nothing that “we” can do, can “make Life fair”. It’s just the way of Life itself; and the way of the world itself..
Could we desire “better” ? Of course we can. Can we do, what we can do, to make it better ? Of course we can. Can we all, ever arrive at, “fair” for ALL ? Not possible. It is the way of it.
You do have the loveliest heart. It shines radiantly.
I love how you compared this to natural phenomenon, Deb! Oh, this was SO wonderful! Why, why, why? Equality may be impossible…”difference” may be the only opportunity. Thank you for sharing YOUR loveliest radiant heart, sister.
thank you for sharing this perspective. it actually made me thankful for so many of the ‘unfair’ and ‘undeserved’ blessings i enjoy every day.
i found my way here thanks to Cecelia’s “Inspired Vision” who not only commented first, but also shared the link at her blog. that was much more than fair of her 🙂
Hi, Pix and Kardz! Wasn’t it more than fair of Cecelia? She is my heroine! Like you I am pondering the unfair and undeserved blessings I receive each and every dawning day. You visiting this blog is one blessing…
I had a ‘aha’ moment today at work that was a shorter version of this post. Planned on writing about it…might still…might not. We’ll see.
Thanks for sharing!
I will wait to see what you write! You should link it here. I don’t think any of us should miss it…
Actually was going to link it…then the fingers didn’t go that way! You know how that goes!
You echo the thoughts of all kind, thinking, caring people who inhabit this earth where ever they are and whatever their circumstances. Be happy for what you have and share gladly with those who have a greater need than you – whether monetry, emotionally, and feel that sharing and caring is an important to making the giver and receiver have felt the benit in so many ways. Really enjoyed this post. 🙂
Claire, I am so grateful that we are kind, thinking, caring people. I am so glad that our hearts are bigger than our limitations. I am appreciating, too, that you exist…thank you so much.
Pingback: Why life on earth might be perfectly “fair” « Lake Superior Spirit
What a wonderful post that Cecilia sent my way!
I can tell you that truly life is not fair but it’s how much time we stand with hands on hips shouting about it’s unfairness that defines us.
In Rotary Clubs across the world, we recite the 4 way test at every meeting. If you have an issue, you are suppose to run it by the test and ask these questions:\
Is it the truth?
Is it fail to all concerned?
Will it build good will and better friendships?
Is it beneficial to all concerned?
If the answer is yes (to most of them) then you have found your answer.
Thanks for your lovely words!
MargeKatherine, what a wonderful four questions to consider when there is an issue. You get to move deeper into the issue instead of deciding too hastily or without deep heart/thoughts. I also think you’re right about that hip-shouting business. It sure does tell a lot about us. Thank you (and Cecelia) for your visit to the shores of my little blog.
So much to think about as I read your wonderful post, Kathy. Fairness, I do not think it has ever never been part of this world. Always there have been people or situations we could describe as “unfair”. People who were born on the wrong side of the barrier, so to speak. Children who live in countries plagued by constant wars and who will never enjoy peace nor receive an education such as the one we consider normal. Why they and not me ? If I received so many gifts from life, it is surely for sharing them with others. This is what I have been trying to do for years, in my own small ways. Sometimes right around me, sometimes across borders and bars. I do believe that each of us, in one’s own way, can bring “fairness” in one way or another to someone in need.
Thank you Kathy. I am grateful for you.
Isa, thank you for your thoughts. I feel that you are the type of person who does share deeply and widely with others, across borders and bars. I like your idea that each one of us can contribute to bringing fairness into this sometimes tarnished and lopsided world. Blessings, dear friend to you.