When a friend called to say she got the COVID-19 appointment on her first day of trying, I admit that I had vaccine-envy, yet I had to remind myself that there's an element of chance in most of life events.
A loved one missed out on a good job opportunity recently. He was disappointed, yet I knew that he did everything he could to get the job, but it was a competitive position so it was not surprising that he didn't get it--there was definitely an element of chance in the situation.
All along our lives, we win some and we lose some--that's the way life is. Some of us do better than others when it comes to getting a good job, having great relationships, living in a good community, and having good health. In the game of life, there are many opportunities to win and many opportunities to lose, and for most of us we've had our share of both rewarding wins and heartwrenching losses. There's lots of in-between times too--times when we neither win nor lose, but are part of the pack whereever that pack roams and rambles.
So what is fair?
As a little child in a big family, my dad taught us early on that what is fair isn't necessarily what is the same or equal, but instead what is fair is getting what you need when you need it in just, right ways. That was a good lesson to learn early on.
And today, as I define fair, I like to think of it in a similar way. Fair is being able to get what you need to live a good life. It doesn't mean you'll get everything you want or desire, but it means that you, like everyone else, gets a fair share of basic needs met, opportunity, and enjoyable, happy living.
To receive your piece of the life pie, you have a responsibility to do your part to help yourself and help others too--do what you can to keep that fair share of good living available to yourself and those around you by working to strengthen and exhibit good character as well as supporting the kinds of public supports, laws, and policies that provide for good living for everyone that desires it.
There's elements of chance in life too--elements of being in the right place at the right time. We can't wholly control that or ensure that this chance is fair, but we can position ourselves and others so that chance and serendipity bends towards us. That helps.
Life will never be exactly fair, and we have to recognize that, but we can work for equitable chances at good living for all in multiple ways, and if we seek that end, we will likely have a somewhat fair existence when it comes to good living. Onward.