接受生活不公平

Surrender to the fact that life isn’t fair

A friend of mine, in response to a conversation we were having about the injustice of life, asked me the question, “Who said life was going to be fair, or that it was even meant to be fair?” Her question was a good one. It reminded me of something I was taught as a youngster life isn’t fair. It’s a bummer but it’s absolutely true. One of the mistakes many of us make is that we feel sorry for ourselves, or for others, thinking that life should be fair, or that someday it will be. It’s not and it won’t.

One of the nice things about surrendering to the fact that life isn’t fair is that it keeps us from feeling sorry for ourselves by encouraging us to do the very best we can with what we have. We know it’s not “life’s job” to make everything perfect, it’s our own challenge. Surrendering to this fact also keeps us from feeling sorry for others because we are reminded that everyone is dealt a different hand; everyone has unique strengths and problems in the process of growing up, facing the reality and making decisions; and everyone has those times that they feel victimized or unfairly treated.

The fact that life isn’t fair doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do everything in our power to improve our own lives or the world as a whole. To the contrary, it suggests that we should. When we don’t recognize or admit that life isn’t fair, we tend to feel pity for others and for ourselves. Pity, of course, is a self-defeating emotion that does nothing for anyone, except to make everyone feel worse than they already do. When we do recognize that life isn’t fair, however, we feel compassion for others and for ourselves. And compassion is a heartfelt emotion that delivers loving-kindness to everyone it touches. The next time you find yourself thinking about the injustices of the world, try reminding yourself of this very basic fact. You may be surprised that it can nudge you out of self-pity and into helpful action.

【助讀詞匯】

◇injustice n. 不公平，不講道義

◇bummer n. 打擊人的事物

◇victimize v. 使犧牲，使受害，欺騙

◇nudge v. 用肘輕推，推進，輕推

【參考譯文】

接受生活不公平

當我和一位朋友在談論生活中不公平現象的時候，她問我：“是誰說生活會變得公平，或生活本應該是公平的？”她的問題問得很好。這讓我想起我年輕時學到的一條道理：生活是不公平的。這非常令人失望，但它絕對是真的。我們當中許多人犯的一個錯誤就是喜歡自艾自憐，或為他人抱不平，認為生活應該是公平的，或者認為有一天會變公平的。其實不然，現在不是，將來也不會是。

接受生活不公平的好處之一就是我們不會顧影自憐，而是倍受激勵，利用我們所擁有的盡全力去做。我們知道生活不可能令事事都完美，希望事事都完美只是我們對自己的挑戰。接受這一事實的另一好處就是我們也不會為別人感到遺憾，因為我們認識到每個人手里的牌不同；在成長的過程中，在現實面前，在做決定的時候，每個人有著各自獨特的優點和缺點；每個人都有感覺冤枉和不公平的時候。

生活不公平并不表示我們就不該力所能及地去改善我們的生活，讓整個世界變得更美好。恰恰相反，它暗示我們應該這樣做。當我們不肯承認或接受生活不公平的時候，我們往往會為自己和別人感到遺憾。當然，遺憾是種自我否定的情緒，除了讓人變得更郁悶，什么作用都沒有。然而，當我們承認生活不公平的時候，我們同情自己也同情他人。同情是種發自內心的感受，同情總是向它觸碰到的人傳遞愛心與關懷。下次當你在思考這世界的不公平現象的時候，試試回想下這個事實。也許，它會令人驚喜地讓你擺脫顧自神傷去做些有益的事情。

【人生啟迪】

文章題目看似消極，卻在傳遞一個積極的信息。在與現實交手的時候，我們不能沉浸于自己的想法中。“知己知彼，方能百戰百勝”，接受生活不公平，拿出戰士的精神去迎接它。