Navigating Unfairness: Finding Empowerment In Chaos

My mind and heart have been dwelling on how unsafe the world feels lately. How innocent people are being hurt and that harm is justified by the countries inflicting it. How everything I grew up with in my society seems to be turning upside down. How everything I hear is coloured by the beliefs of the person speaking so that whatever I hear must be taken in with caution.

For that reason, I limit what I read and hear to those sources who at least try hard to be impartial. I contribute my resources and efforts to helping myself and my world in whatever way I can that I feel has positive impact.

What I’ve learned not to do is dwell on the unfairness of the situation.

There is no denying that so much of what is happening is unfair. It breaks my heart thinking about it. But, as at least one wise person has said, life is unfair. I can add to that the following: if you haven’t experienced that unfairness in your own life yet, you will.

I’m not saying this to be unkind: I’m saying it because we all will experience life turning on us in ways that hurt and feel we don’t deserve. The question that I’ve learned to ask when that happens to me is this: How am I going to deal with this thing that just happened to me?

I remember reading Greek myths about some god or other doing outrageously unfair things to someone. It was ages before I finally understood that the myth was at least partly telling a story about how that person dealt with what fate handed them.

Then it occurred to me that this is the real lesson in life: how we handle what we get, rather than how we may be victimized by what we get.

My life’s work has been about helping others re-empower themselves. We need this more than ever in these chaotic times.

Quote of the Week

Unseen in the background, Fate was quietly slipping lead into the boxing-glove.

― P G Woodhouse, Very Good, Jeeves!

Tough luck! Accepting life’s unfairness will set you free

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Maryanne Nicholls is a Registered Psychotherapist.  To find out more, gain access to her weekly newsletter, meditations and programs, sign up at www.thejoyofliving.co .