Mar
Life is Unfair!
I am living proof that life is not fair. I have endured more than my share of troubles. It began at birth. I was adopted by an Irish-American family who eventually came to resent me. (Genetically, I am Western Scandinavian and German, not a bit of Celt in me.) Add the fact that I was not born in the best of shape. My first set of teeth were miserable, and my back caused me a little trouble. And all that before I was even out of grammar school!
I dreaded going to school and I dreaded going home.
Life was certainly unfair, was it not?
Maybe. I think that fairness is not the issue. You see, my friend, one of the great stumbling blocks for so many people is that phrase: “Life is Unfair.” People rail against it, resent it, and let it become the most important issue in their lives. The reality is that life is unfair for everybody, not just you or me. Life is kinder to some than others. That is simply the way things are. You will not get justice for getting the short end of the stick.
I recently wrote an article that used a mold as an example. The subject was miniature figures, or so one might think. A good mold based on a good master figure will turn out a detailed, fine piece. The hobbyists does not have to do much additional work to make it look fine. A crude mold will turn out a crude figure with poor detail. That means that in order to have a fine miniature, the craftsman will have to do a lot of additional work after the figure is cast. He will have to correct the things that the mold could not do, such as adding details and improving the figure.
This is much like us. A good upbringing is like a good mold. There is not much extra work to do once the individual becomes an adult. The poor mold is like a bad upbringing. The individual will have to do a lot of work to correct it. Both have the potential to be good, but for one it is a short path and the other a longer one. Unfair? Of course it is. But fair or not, the work must be done if one wants his life to make a difference.
Holger Eriksson was a sculptor of military miniatures whose work was prolific. It was also notably crude, yet proportionate and well-animated. Holger, a Swede, carved his master figures of wood. They look very crude compared to finely-detailed modern miniatures. Nonetheless, collectors invariably have a few Holger Eriksson figures. I even have molds that make copies of some of his older Civil War and Revolutionary War pieces.
Holger was a true artist. I’d say that one out of five of the figures he designed were blessed with a certain innate quality. I call it “character.” There is something about the figure that is more than just another miniature,. Is it the pose, the animation, the detail (or lack thereof)? For instance, I have a mold that makes a standing Civil War soldier. He is not doing much, in that pose, yet he stands out as being unique.
Most of us are not polished, slick individuals blessed with Hollywood looks. However, looks are not everything. One of the most telling things about an individual is character. The inner essence is what counts.
There are people who think it unfair that they do not have the looks that would get them a modeling career. Unfair? There are people who do not have the looks, but who are more highly valued than the finest-looking people on earth. It is the person within that counts. Here we see the Mannar Rune at work. The paradox is the man the world sees as opposed to the one that abides within. It is the “what I am” as opposed to the “who I am.” Better to be the Who than just another What.
Embrace the fact that life is unfair for everybody. We all get good and bad, and some of us get more or less than others. Why? Is it Wyrd? Fate? Capricious Gods? Angry trolls? Suffice to say that it is what it is. The only thing you can change about it is yourself. The fact is that no matter what caused it, you are the one stuck in the midst of it. No matter who is to blame, the onus is on you to change it. You need to see if you had any input into the situation, no matter how small. After all, if you have a string of unfortunate incidents, the one common factor there is you. Maybe you are not to blame, but you are responsible to try to change your circumstances.
Do not worry about Fair or Unfair. Concern yourself with that which you must do to improve things. “Why me?” is the battle cry of the loser. Victory begins with, “What must I do now?” The time spent railing at Fate can be better spent making a better Fate for yourself.
