There are countless examples I could give as to why life is unfair, but I'll stick to a few prominent ones.
Since we, as humans, are not omnipotent entities, we have no influence in the decision as to where we are born or into what circumstances. It is pure chance. Some people are born into wealth and power in countries like the United States. Obviously not everyone here is well off, but living conditions in the US far surpass those of many other countries. But for every person born into a comfortable position and giving the opportunity to succeed, there are two to three more born into destitution and hardship in countries like Sudan, Haiti, or the Republic of Congo. These people did not do anything to deserve the suffering they will be forced through in life, but are nonetheless dropped in those situations. Parents are the same way. Many people are born into loving families, who look out for each other and care. But there are still many others who are faced with neglect and abuse. Again, they had no choice in the matter.
This next inequality is mostly present in the United States, but also marginally elsewhere. There are very, very, hard working people in our country. And then there are athletes. Now, no one loves sports more than me, but honestly, this is ridiculous. The backbone of this great country, those who perform physical labor in infrastructure and construction rarely bring in over $100,000 a year. But I can understand compensating people for striving for excellence in education. So lets say a psychiatrist went to school for eight extra years, and is making two to three hundred thousand a year. And then Alex Rodriguez, the New York Yankees third basemen, who rakes in $30 Million a year in guaranteed salary. He plays a game. The previous two professions excel in helping both our country and people in need. A-Rod hits a ball with a stick. He didn't even go to college. (Not to mention celebrities who are famous for the sake of being famous. The Kardashians' make upwards of $20,000 per episode of their new show.)
The last disparity I will mention is simply between good and bad people. The cliche, "Nice guys finish last," certainly has its moments of truth. Both in the job hunt, and in friendship, among others, people are trampled simply because they are unwilling to trample others. It's a dog eat dog world, and those who aren't over-aggressive rarely get what they want. Unfortunately society has, over time, morphed to these low standards, but nevertheless they are ever present. My hope is that our culture can come to terms with itself and recognize that the genuinely good people aren't always the ones with the highest paying jobs, or the most Facebook friends. You'd think we would try to reward people who get to where they are honestly and fairly, but at least they can have that inner peace knowing that they did.
I hope I made it evident why this unfairness bothers me so much, but in case I didn't, it's because:
- some people never have a chance to succeed from the moment they are born.
- some lines of work are incredibly overcompensated compared to others that require much more effort.
- "Nice guys finish last"
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