That's not fair!!!

"That's not fair!" It's the cry of every five and six year old on the planet. And me, of course. So many occasions in my 'short' 32 years of life have led me to complain or exclaim that something is not fair.

Someone recently told me that as an adult I should be aware of exactly how 'not fair' life is. That there are many things that occur normally, naturally, that are not fair. Then there are wars. There are really crappy political decisions. There are kids being shot by policemen. There are kids killing policemen. There are children getting sick, and worse yet, dying. There are old people dying. Kids starve. There are diseases, and disorders, and more that occur outside the influence of mankind.

All of which is 'unfair'.

"So stop saying it isn't fair what you are going through. You are old enough to know that life isn't fair, and just deal with it."

But I disagree. Why expect things to be horrible just because you know that bad things exist? Should we stop hoping for good things to happen? Just because another kid might push your child down on the playground, does that mean that we teach our kids to just push others? Should we tolerate inequality just because we know it will happen?

NO! We as parents strive to teach our children fairness. To others and to ourselves. We teach them to share with friends, so they each have something. We teach them to be kind to others, because why? Because they want others to be kind to THEM. What is that, if not a basic lesson in fairness?

Even our country, (America, for anyone not from the good ole US), was founded on principles of what? Truth, Justice, and the American way. What is 'Justice', but a synonym of 'fair'?

Ok, I stand corrected, Superman fought for Truth, Justice, and the American way. But look at the entire genre of superheroes. What did they fight against? Obviously, ARCHENEMIES!!! But in abstract, they fought against inequality.

They fought for FAIRNESS.

Geez. Name any large movie, novel, book or literary enterprise, and they all fight for the same thing. Even Biblical stories go back to treating people equally. From an eye-for-an-eye, to forgiveness. One is about equality, one about giving the person the chance to be 'fair', by making the first gesture of forgiveness, of kindness. It's fairness, touched with mercy (a moral discussion for another day). Even the 'golden rule' is about fairness. "Do onto others as you would have them do onto you."

HELLOOOOOOO!?!?!?.... (in the voice of Jr. Asparagus, if you know what I mean), what is that, if not a direct command towards being FAIR!?

In fact, it seems most of the wars we have are even a fight over what's fair or not. Since it is such a subjective thing, fairness means so much different to each person.

But does this mean we should just give up and resolve ourselves to living and accepting a world where inequality, injustice, and cruelty are the norm?

I say no. I say we should not stop dreaming and fighting for fairness, but we need teach our children that it is something we should strive to achieve. Our ancestors fought for fairness, and it has led us to where we are. The Pilgrims were searching for religious freedom, that they not be prosecuted for their beliefs. The end of slavery, an effort to offer equality to the men who broke their backs to build our country (and who still fight to this day). Women's lib, and Feminism, also a fight to achieve fair standing for women of all kinds. Without these visionaries who have not forgotten 'Fairness', we would be existing in a feudalistic society, living and dying at the whim of our rulers.

I say keep looking for 'Fair'. Look when you are 6, 16, 36, or 96. Never stop looking for, expecting, and acting in Fairness.

After all, if we all strive for Fairness, maybe it will spread.