Thought for the Week
“The world isn’t fair, Calvin.”
“I know, Dad, but why isn’t it ever unfair in my favor?”
~Bill Watterson
There’s great wisdom, I think, in learning to stop expecting fairness—by which we generally mean what Calvin means, getting what we want, which, when we think that way, can never really be enough–because we never stop wanting things. Still, the problem isn’t wanting fairness (especially when it’s fairness for others), it’s hitching our personal happiness to it. Why?
Because fairness isn’t the key to happiness. The happiest people in the world aren’t those who’ve gotten “the long end of the stick,” but those who are happy simply to have a piece of the stick. Not those who can afford to go anywhere in their private jet, but those who can look up at the sky, and say, “All that beauty–and I get to look at it for free anytime I want!”
“Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not.” ~Oscar Wilde
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Mitch Teemley 
Woww..it’s wonderful
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I once had a director who refused to hear “the F-word” when students wanted to complain about their grades.
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“F” as in (in this case) “fairness”?
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“F” as in “That’s not FAIR,” spoken in the tone of a petulant six-year-old.
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;>)
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A timely word indeed, Mitch. You caught me planning the decorations for my own “That’s not fair!” pity party. Thank you for the wake up call!
I also heard it said that fairness isn’t everyone getting the same thing. It’s everyone getting what they truly need. Blessings!
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You too, David!
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Agreed. Fairness is highly overrated. We don’t grow through fairness, we grow through adversity. I’ll take growth over stagnation any day.
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I love this
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Thank God for small favors.
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Some great quotes Mitch, “The happiest people in the world aren’t those who’ve gotten “the long end of the stick,” but those who are happy simply to have a piece of the stick.” is my favourite!
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I remembered this quote from a locker sticker, “If you can’t change the world, change your attitude.”
Good words to live by. Great post.
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You’re right, life is not fair. But God, in his mercy, has chosen to save those who were his enemies. I’ll take grace over fairness any day.
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Amen, Robert.
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Thanks for checking out my blog recently! I hope you enjoyed it!
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I did, Ena.
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Having been an educator, specifically working with students that had special needs, I had a saying that I used with parents a lot. “What is fair for one, is not necessarily fair for all,” This when they complained that their child didn’t get the same supports as someone elses.
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Ah, the challenges of being an educator.
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True. I love every line. It is like a laser light pointing to truth that you can’t help see it and admit that, yes, it is quite true. The world is never fair and sometimes it is good that it is not fair. 😀
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“All that beauty–and I get to look at it for free anytime I want!” – Yes! The recipe for happiness. 🙂 (But most of us need to slow down if we’re going to enjoy it.;) )
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So true, Annie.
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Fair like in carnival (because fairs don’t stay in town long—somehow this analogy works)
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Love it, Pam.
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https://solomonsadvisor.wordpress.com/2020/04/06/why-me/
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Terrific post, Rebecca!
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So true. We know it’s true. But we act like it isn’t!
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What a beautiful post, Mitch! Those are some solid words of wisdom we would all do well to remember! You are a brilliant writer.
Your post reminds me of the quote from Charles Swindoll, “Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it.” — I believe that’s true. Expecting fairness in an unfair world leads to a lot of unnecessary bitterness, disappointment, and rejection.
“All that beauty–and I get to look at it for free anytime I want!” — That, Mitch, is most certainly an attitude of gratitude. What a spectacular way to look at life. Finding joy and peace with whatever circumstance we find ourselves in.
Thank you for sharing this!
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My pleasure, Holly, and thank you!
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A fair (pun intended 😉) point – happiness is perspective more than anything else
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This way I guess we learn the lessons the hard way. Which moulds us into better beings. Thanks for sharing.
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My father taught me many good lessons, but one of the biggest was definitely, “Life isn’t fair, and the sooner you accept that, the happier you’ll be!”
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Good stuff. Thankfully, the Lord is always just even if from our very-limited, sinful human perspective He’s not always “fair.”
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Sometimes hard to wrap our heads around, but true indeed, Keith.
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