16. "Life is unfair"

Sometimes we feel so down that we think, “Life is unfair.” At that moment it certainly feels that way. No one can dismiss your feelings. What we do want to think about is whether this is a good explanation. Let’s evaluate it after the high of emotions has simmered a bit. When we say, “Life is unfair,” whose life are we referring to? Is it everyone’s life or just our own? Maybe just our own so our life is unfair but to whom? It seems obvious and silly to ask this but let’s go with it. “Our life is unfair to us,” we might say. Is it also unfair to someone from North Korea or Somalia? Their lives are harsh and our lives may be a blessing from their perspective. What if we changed our response to, “Our lives could be much better. It is possible. We are not asking for much. We did not do anything to deserve such hardships.” I hear you and I understand how you feel. Here’s a radical response:

“All evils are caused by insufficient knowledge.”
- ‘The Principle of Optimism’ by David Deutsch