The Mysterious Equilibrium of Life: Is Life Unfair, or We Misinterpret the Balance?
We feel to be the victim in almost all circumstances leaving us with no choice but to think that Life is always unfair to us, but there is more on the other side of the wall of confirmation bias.
The ever-ongoing debate on whether Life is Fair or Unfair to most of us always leaves us with conclusions that might be tilted due to personal perceptions and experiences
Life, the story of expectations and shortfalls, containing backdrops of joy and sorrow, triumphs and devastations, often leaves us questioning the Unconvincing & Unanswerable, It’s fairness.🎡
When we start growing and pass through the stages of life that are birth, being kids, childhood, being teenagers, and finally adults, we witness the undeserved misfortunes for ourselves with the seemingly effortless fulfillment coming often in the way to others. 😔
Then at those moments, it’s easy to feel shortchanged, to believe the universe plays favorites on a cosmic seesaw which due to unknown reasons perpetually tilted against us.🪐
But is it so? …………
At least we need to think, is it tilted constantly, before succumbing to cynicism?
Perhaps we need to re-examine the perception of very notion of fairness in life’s grand scheme.
Could it be that life isn’t inherently fair or unfair, but rather operates on a complex balancing act that we often misinterpret due to our limited perspective?🪐
And, Why It would be unfair to me only, should also be a question we need to ask ourselves!
As there shouldn’t be any personal grudges Life might be beholding for us, thus logically it won’t be unfair to only us.
So, there must be something we aren’t able to figure out which is compelling us to think that LIFE IS ALWAYS UNFAIR TO ME.
Let us think about the story of Stephen Hawking, unarguably the most vivid and profound thinker and scientist of our times, who was diagnosed with the chronic disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), at the tender age of 21, his future thus appeared to be painted with dark color on his life’s canvas.🖼️
He became extremely less mobile and limited to a wheelchair; his voice became dependent upon a speech synthesizer. Here one must say that Life was unfair to him. But when we start looking at the progression of his life later on, we know that with such a challenge Life also gave him the power of will to strive against all odds.🥊
Not only did he survive decades beyond his initial diagnosis, but he revolutionized our understanding of the universe through his groundbreaking work on black holes and cosmology.
Somewhere Life gave him the strength and reactive capabilities to explore his thoughts as a virtue associated with the disease.
Hawking’s story shows an unfair situation — a non-curable disease — but along with that finally becoming fair by building extra-powerful capabilities leading to a life of extraordinary achievement.
Many may declare life as totally unfair to him but few will also assert that Life was somehow balancing the Odds at its best.😊
On the other side of the spectrum, we have Malala Yousafzai. Born in a war-torn region where girls were denied education, so by birth, one can say Life was unfair to her.
But isn’t it that same adverse conditions gave her inner strength to dare to dream of a different future?🎯
Her inner strength was built due to opposite situations becoming an unstoppable pursuit of knowledge which made her a target for the Taliban, who attempted to assassinate her at the age of 15.
This horrific event could be interpreted as the epitome of life’s unfairness which is correct also momentarily for that period.⭕
Yet, Malala’s courage and her unbreakable commitment to education became famous globally. She became a powerful advocate for girls’ rights, the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and a symbol of hope for millions.
Malala’s story reminds us that even arbitrary acts of cruelty can serve as catalysts for building up courage and strength for an impactful change.
These two examples illustrate how our perception of fairness often takes a sharp tangent by focusing solely on the initial hardship Life gives.
Life may not be offering neat resolutions or predictable and wishful outcomes. It keeps on throwing curveballs, some minor and some majorly devastating, but most of those turn out to be unexpected blessings in disguise.
One compelling reason we misinterpret life’s balancing act is our inherent tendency to compare our journeys. Earlier it was least due to just occasional get-togethers but now social media, with its curated perfect pictures, creates the illusion that everyone else has it figured out well assisted by Life’s ever-supporting features.
We see the picture-perfect growing families, vacations, the seemingly effortless success stories bundled with luck most of the time and feel that our struggles are never-ending and will remain without any desirable results.😥
But comparing unknown behind-the-scenes reality is a recipe for making errors in judging whether Life is fair or unfair to us. Every life has its share of hidden battles, unseen struggles, and moments of quiet desperation which remains hidden most of the times.
I think by focusing on our unique path, acknowledging the challenges we face, and celebrating our victories — big and small — would allow us to appreciate the inherent fairness in life’s balancing act, most likely.
Furthermore, our understanding of fairness often erupts from short-sightedness. We judge life’s events in the immediate present, unable to see the ripple effects that cascade through time. 🌌
A missed opportunity today might pave the way for a greater one tomorrow. A setback might lead to a crucial exploration that ultimately brings us closer to our dreams. 💭
As witnessed through the Life lived past so far, most of us can agree that Life unfolds in a grand narrative, with strict adherence to the laws of rewards and punishment, though not visible but taking place turn by turn.
The key is to trust the process and to believe that even the most unfair-looking moments contribute to the biggest of future rewards in our existence.
It is calming to learn that Life’s fairness doesn’t lie in the absence of hardship, but in the opportunities for pain and gain it gives to everyone.
And, then the tilted seesaw symbol becomes less relevant when we shift our perspective. May be Life isn’t a Lost and Found box, where one keeps on losing and another keeps on gaining, but a balanced exchange of Luck & Misfortunes with the universe.
Perhaps the question is not about Life’s fairness or Unfairness but it’s about whether we can accept the balancing act, recognize the opportunities embedded within challenges, and trust that the narrative, even with its twists and turns, is ultimately leading us toward our unique version of a fulfilling life story.🎇
In all fairness (pun intended), one must ask: How can we shift our perspective to recognize the balance in our own experiences? What lessons can we draw from the stories of those who have thrived over adversity?
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comments.
I hope you liked the story and it gave you something to think about!
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