What is it with people and fairness? It seems sometimes that everybody is so persnickety about making everything "fair." For example, my brother - as of today in his mid-teens - still raises complaints against things when they aren't fair. When the family has a treat during a meal (like cinnamon rolls or biscuits) he insists on everybody getting a chance to have the same amount as everyone else (if they want less - all the more for him - that's the part that makes me laugh). Or when someone forgets to do a chore and he gets made to do it he makes a fuss about it not being his chore.
But it's not just my brother. A family I know, one of the parents won't let any kid get a piece of candy unless all the other kids (big family) get one. The parent insists upon them getting equal slices of apple, cake, cheese, etc. even if one or two don't want any. I may be exaggerating here, but that's the impression I got being around this particular family.
And then there's the government. Need I say that Socialism is being pushed? Hasn't anyone learned? Anybody read their history anymore? Socialism is just a step away from Communism. And Communism, well...I'll just say it: didn't work out so well in Russia and China when it was in force. They still have problems on occasion. Don't get offended at me if you disagree. I'm just saying. When people say that education, healthcare, and housing should be across the board so that everybody gets a fair shot at life - that absolutely everybody has a right to have these things - aren't sticking with the truth about fairness. I'll explain in a moment.
In the Preamble of the Constitution of the USA there are these words: "We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights: that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Mark this last bit: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Nowhere does it say education, housing, and the pursuit of healthcare. Nowhere. And there's a reason for that.
Unalienable rights. Life: to live. To have a chance. No one should be allowed to end your life or make it miserable through torture or theft without justice. Liberty: freedom. The chance to go on your own and make a living. No one should be allowed to force you to work for them without wage or tradeoff. No one should be allowed to force you to work and abuse you while you work or punish you for poor work without reason. Pursuit of happiness: chasing dreams. To follow your desire for a good and happy life. To reach for what you wish for - without endangering anyone else's life while you're at it. No one should tell you that you can't do this or that without giving you a chance to work hard and try to grasp the star you're after.
These things are rights. Good, true, and beautiful. Now let's look at the other three that many people push.
Education: knowledge and strength of the mind. It is noble to want to know about life and everything about it and our world. It is noble to seek good education and shun stupidity. It is good to teach your children everything you know - everything they can absorb. But not all people can become Einstein. Not all people have minds fit for "higher knowledge." But only each person can decide his or her own limit. I know. I did high school. All of it. I graduated. And now I have a bunch of information I learned that I never needed to know for the life I live. I am a "well-rounded" individual. And I'm okay with that. But don't make me pay for more education. If I want more I'll pay for it when I go to get said information in college. But don't make me pay for everybody else's if they're not working for the money to pay for it. If I chose to give help, okay, but otherwise I will pay for mine and mine alone.
Housing: a roof over your head and a place to sleep. It is noble to try to get a home of your own. That's what my parents did. They saved up their hard-earned money to buy a good home before having kids. But a home costs money. A place to sleep costs money. Why do you think there are hotels? Why do you think charities run shelters for people who've lost their homes? Why do you think orphanages ask for donations and payment for adoption so they can keep letting those who've never had a home in? And some people like the street life. I've met quite a few people like that. They like being dependent upon the generosity of others instead of working for a home. A home costs money. I'm working hard to have a home of my own one day. Don't make me pay for someone else who has never worked a day in his life to have one too. If I chose to help out at the shelter, okay, but if I have to earn my home, let me earn mine and mine alone.
Healthcare: taking care of the health of the body. It is noble to seek the body's wellbeing. It is a good idea to seek out the more knowledgeable in matters of health when you're sick or hurt. But if someone offers to help you, shouldn't you offer something in return? That is the basis of the medical world. Pursuing the knowledge of health and healing for the body and being paid for the service. But what if there is someone who is desperately sick and cannot pay? There are people who will give. Willingly. No one I know likes to watch anybody else suffer. I know people who volunteer at make-shift hospitals and doctors who travel to poor countries to help the sick and dying at their own cost. But no one should force anyone to pay for another's wellness. I will give to help someone, but don't compromise my ability to pay for my own large doctor bills so that someone else can go to the doctor to be told they have a cold.
So are these rights? Not at all. They are hard-earned privileges. Or gifts to others from the privileged and better-off. I know, I know. Everybody's hero is Robin Hood. The legendary outlaw who robbed from the rich (even a prince stand-in for the king of that age) to give to the poor. But you see, everybody's got it wrong. Does a greedy prince's over-taxing of the peasants (a government form of theft) justify another man's theft from him? No. Stealing is stealing. Taking without permission or trade is stealing. So how does one stop the greed of the wealthy prince? Trade and profit. From ancient history to now there were three main ways to get rich - through violence (theft), inheritance, or trade. There are many examples of in the Industrial Age (and even today) men rose to wealth, fame, and power through hard work. Some started ground zero: no education, no home, and especially no healthcare. And became millionaires and billionaires simply by putting one foot in front of the other - working their way through the ranks of society. They had life and liberty. And they took the pursuit of happiness into their own hands and gave it up for a long time to get it for themselves and for others. And they made a difference in the world.
You see, when the right people - the hard workers - have, they will give. Don't take it from them. Let them give on their own. A gift grudgingly given is no gift at all.
Here's the truth about fairness: Life isn't fair. Bam. I said it. Hurt your feelings, didn't it? You want me to share what's been given me? Okay, fine. It wasn't mine in the first place. I was given a gift I shall give another in return or a gift to others. You want me to share what I spent years of work to get? Nope. Not even funny. That's how it works. And then someone with the same story - years of hard work - gets wasted. Everything he had - gone. Down the drain. Everything taken from him. That person I will help. Life wasn't fair to him. But no one helps you out so why help him? It's fair. So I will stand against the "fairness" of others of keeping things to themselves and help this person out. There is one word for that. Grace. That is the real Robin Hood of this world. That is the real mentality of the giver and the hero:
Fairness is not a part of life. So let me not be fair - let me help you at my own expense. Willingly. It is a gift.
Gifts aren't fair. A gift is more than fair. Take it.
Today wasn't fair. So what will you do about tomorrow? Take it and run with it.
Life isn't fair.
But it is a gift. What will you do with it?
But it's not just my brother. A family I know, one of the parents won't let any kid get a piece of candy unless all the other kids (big family) get one. The parent insists upon them getting equal slices of apple, cake, cheese, etc. even if one or two don't want any. I may be exaggerating here, but that's the impression I got being around this particular family.
And then there's the government. Need I say that Socialism is being pushed? Hasn't anyone learned? Anybody read their history anymore? Socialism is just a step away from Communism. And Communism, well...I'll just say it: didn't work out so well in Russia and China when it was in force. They still have problems on occasion. Don't get offended at me if you disagree. I'm just saying. When people say that education, healthcare, and housing should be across the board so that everybody gets a fair shot at life - that absolutely everybody has a right to have these things - aren't sticking with the truth about fairness. I'll explain in a moment.
In the Preamble of the Constitution of the USA there are these words: "We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights: that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Mark this last bit: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Nowhere does it say education, housing, and the pursuit of healthcare. Nowhere. And there's a reason for that.
Unalienable rights. Life: to live. To have a chance. No one should be allowed to end your life or make it miserable through torture or theft without justice. Liberty: freedom. The chance to go on your own and make a living. No one should be allowed to force you to work for them without wage or tradeoff. No one should be allowed to force you to work and abuse you while you work or punish you for poor work without reason. Pursuit of happiness: chasing dreams. To follow your desire for a good and happy life. To reach for what you wish for - without endangering anyone else's life while you're at it. No one should tell you that you can't do this or that without giving you a chance to work hard and try to grasp the star you're after.
These things are rights. Good, true, and beautiful. Now let's look at the other three that many people push.
Education: knowledge and strength of the mind. It is noble to want to know about life and everything about it and our world. It is noble to seek good education and shun stupidity. It is good to teach your children everything you know - everything they can absorb. But not all people can become Einstein. Not all people have minds fit for "higher knowledge." But only each person can decide his or her own limit. I know. I did high school. All of it. I graduated. And now I have a bunch of information I learned that I never needed to know for the life I live. I am a "well-rounded" individual. And I'm okay with that. But don't make me pay for more education. If I want more I'll pay for it when I go to get said information in college. But don't make me pay for everybody else's if they're not working for the money to pay for it. If I chose to give help, okay, but otherwise I will pay for mine and mine alone.
Housing: a roof over your head and a place to sleep. It is noble to try to get a home of your own. That's what my parents did. They saved up their hard-earned money to buy a good home before having kids. But a home costs money. A place to sleep costs money. Why do you think there are hotels? Why do you think charities run shelters for people who've lost their homes? Why do you think orphanages ask for donations and payment for adoption so they can keep letting those who've never had a home in? And some people like the street life. I've met quite a few people like that. They like being dependent upon the generosity of others instead of working for a home. A home costs money. I'm working hard to have a home of my own one day. Don't make me pay for someone else who has never worked a day in his life to have one too. If I chose to help out at the shelter, okay, but if I have to earn my home, let me earn mine and mine alone.
Healthcare: taking care of the health of the body. It is noble to seek the body's wellbeing. It is a good idea to seek out the more knowledgeable in matters of health when you're sick or hurt. But if someone offers to help you, shouldn't you offer something in return? That is the basis of the medical world. Pursuing the knowledge of health and healing for the body and being paid for the service. But what if there is someone who is desperately sick and cannot pay? There are people who will give. Willingly. No one I know likes to watch anybody else suffer. I know people who volunteer at make-shift hospitals and doctors who travel to poor countries to help the sick and dying at their own cost. But no one should force anyone to pay for another's wellness. I will give to help someone, but don't compromise my ability to pay for my own large doctor bills so that someone else can go to the doctor to be told they have a cold.
So are these rights? Not at all. They are hard-earned privileges. Or gifts to others from the privileged and better-off. I know, I know. Everybody's hero is Robin Hood. The legendary outlaw who robbed from the rich (even a prince stand-in for the king of that age) to give to the poor. But you see, everybody's got it wrong. Does a greedy prince's over-taxing of the peasants (a government form of theft) justify another man's theft from him? No. Stealing is stealing. Taking without permission or trade is stealing. So how does one stop the greed of the wealthy prince? Trade and profit. From ancient history to now there were three main ways to get rich - through violence (theft), inheritance, or trade. There are many examples of in the Industrial Age (and even today) men rose to wealth, fame, and power through hard work. Some started ground zero: no education, no home, and especially no healthcare. And became millionaires and billionaires simply by putting one foot in front of the other - working their way through the ranks of society. They had life and liberty. And they took the pursuit of happiness into their own hands and gave it up for a long time to get it for themselves and for others. And they made a difference in the world.
You see, when the right people - the hard workers - have, they will give. Don't take it from them. Let them give on their own. A gift grudgingly given is no gift at all.
Here's the truth about fairness: Life isn't fair. Bam. I said it. Hurt your feelings, didn't it? You want me to share what's been given me? Okay, fine. It wasn't mine in the first place. I was given a gift I shall give another in return or a gift to others. You want me to share what I spent years of work to get? Nope. Not even funny. That's how it works. And then someone with the same story - years of hard work - gets wasted. Everything he had - gone. Down the drain. Everything taken from him. That person I will help. Life wasn't fair to him. But no one helps you out so why help him? It's fair. So I will stand against the "fairness" of others of keeping things to themselves and help this person out. There is one word for that. Grace. That is the real Robin Hood of this world. That is the real mentality of the giver and the hero:
Fairness is not a part of life. So let me not be fair - let me help you at my own expense. Willingly. It is a gift.
Gifts aren't fair. A gift is more than fair. Take it.
Today wasn't fair. So what will you do about tomorrow? Take it and run with it.
Life isn't fair.
But it is a gift. What will you do with it?