Life Is Unfair

I'm sure we've all heard this line before. It is unfair that mothers die before their children are grown. It is unfair for children to suffer from life-threatening diseases and die before they become adults. It is unfair to be a victim of molestation or assault. It is unfair to have your life savings wiped out by corporate greed. Yes, life is unfair. Even the weather is not fair (no pun intended). Tornados, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, wildfires, blizzards, floods, and volcanic eruptions are all a fact of life on our ever-changing planet earth. I suppose I could just say "Get used to it" and be done with it, but somehow, I cannot.

I remember reading a heart wrenching story in the newspaper several years ago about a young boy who was attacked by a pit bull in Oakland. His face was mauled and his ears bitten off before he was rescued by a passerby. It still twists a knife in my heart to think of this poor boy being attacked by a vicious animal.

Quite recently, I changed my address. Sold my house, gave away most of my "stuff", and moved into a shared housing arrangement. Downsized in a major way. I can fit all of my belongings into the two large bedrooms rooms I now happily occupy.

My new housemate is a gregarious, energetic, enthusiastic woman in her forties. But her body is slowly failing her. The doctors cannot quite figure out what is wrong with her yet, but as she goes through test after test, she suspects the culprit might be MS (multiple sclerosis), a devastating disease that affects otherwise healthy young adults. It is a disease for which there is no cure. MS is "Life" shoving unfairness right up close and in your face.

Whoever coined the phrase "No one ever said life was fair" was absolutely right. Anyone who has ever lost a loved one, suffered from disability or disease, or was unable to have children knows this firsthand. For those you have not yet been touched by the unfairness of life, count your blessings. But don't expect your magic bubble of happiness to last forever. Life is very randomly and unpredictably unfair.