Life is Fair?

[kid]

Is life is fair? wat does fair life suppose 2 mean? Tell us wat u think about a fair life..

[luminodreamer89]

It's too philosophical for us to discuss over here..haha..i suggest u guys to read books by a Brazilian author, Paulo Coelho.

[kid]

lol, i know, but i juz want 2 hear d opinion from u guys... =P

[vikraman]

Define fair first. (Not a fan of one line responses but in this case it is necessary.)

[Keiko123]

Personally I think there's no fair or unfair life. It all depends we, as human being, who have different outlook on life, to "observe" the whole thing explicitly.
I admit that I ever thought that life is really really unfair... But then... What to do? We have to live our life somehow.
This's the fate. The fate that nobody would ever know.
Yea, in fact it's too philosophical for us to discuss...
Anyway, just feel free to speak your mind here. LOL.

[tai1611]

General premise: Life is UNFAIR.

Extension of logic: Everyone's life is unfair.

Conclusion: It is fair.

[markwongsk]

General premise: Life is UNFAIR.

Extension of logic: Everyone's life is unfair.

Conclusion: It is fair.

A paradoxical statement but inevitably true.

[nickvl]

Ahhh...such a deep topic for simpletons like me.
But i feel life is neither fair nor unfair...it's just is.

What is unfair? Many times we hear stories of people going through tough times n all sorts of difficulties. Take for example Helen Keller, both deaf and blind. I guess u can call that unfair... but then she wouldnt be the person whom she became. Many grow stronger as a result of difficulties n they r grateful they had those obstacles that nurtured them.

On the other hand, what is a fair life? A smoothsailing one? But as the saying goes, 'calm seas dun make good sailors' so wouldnt people who have 'fair' lives be at a disadvantage in the end?

So what i feel is life is not fair or unfair. It's how u look at it n try to make the best of it instead of whining everytime the going gets tough.

We may be born in different circumstances but our future is what we create for ourselves

[castle]

it's up to your philosophical stand actually...
like vikraman,i assume his philosophical stand is more towards existentialisme.which from my understanding claim that life is fair because you become what you become because of your own choices and decisions and you are responsible for all the fortunes and misfortunes that you might run into.there is no such thing as other factors other that yourself.

[vikraman]

A very good understanding of existentialism. Hence, I believe life is not something that can be described as fair or unfair. It's just there. It's just going to happen. There are coincidences and there is a certain element of luck involved but separate from that is that 99% of your life's direction and experiences can be determined by your own actions. Thus, if you make right decisions life will be good, easy and comfortable. Make the wrong ones and you're screwed. Unfair/Fairness don't come into it.

[chongkeat]

Yeah, if you make it fair.

[kid]

so, wat do u people think of a person who work so much but didnt get wat they want,
but theres another person who give much less effort, but always get wat they want.,

as an example;

#student A study so hard, with d correct method.. still, spm result is, how should i say it, BAD,

but

#student B study wit the same method like A, but not as hardworking as A, but get the excellent result..

Things like this happen u know!?...

[castle]

you have to understand everyone is different and the amount of work you put into something might yield different results compared to others...if everyone is smart,then everyone is stupid.maybe this situation is unfair but one cannot expect everyone to be the same and to get exactly the same results in everything they do.

then again,we still have to consider your own definition of fairness...if your definition of fairness is that everyone should be the same like clones or robots then i have to disagree with it as that would destroy the very uniqueness of every single human being.
everyone have their own strengths and weaknesses.study might not be be your strongest but consider your other attributes.personally,i'm not a very smart person.that's why i always ask myself,how many straight a1 students can do all the stuffs that i can do?from what i've seen,there is none...
if it gives you some comfort,do remember that no one is you.everyone is special in their own way.

[kid]

..if your definition of fairness is that everyone should be the same like clones or robots then i have to disagree with it as that would destroy the very uniqueness of every single human being.

of coz i dindt mean it like that., for me, fairness in life is very simple,
its like buying sumtin from the shop, u give money, u get the item wit the same value, isnt dat fair? (coz if its not, i think u might yelling at the cashier, lol), anyway, its means that, to get sumtin, you must give sumtin in trade,

but there r sum people who give sumting but get nothing, but others, get sumtin without giving nothing..

[castle]

if life is as simple like that,then everyone would be very happy...its nice lah to fantasize sometimes.but the real world does not function that way.equal trade does not apply.its not full metal alchemist world we're living in now.

[kid]

lol, never read dat manga, is it worth 2 read? haha,

i didnt mean it to be equal trade, but still, its pity 2 see them who work so hard 4 nuthing..

[castle]

in that manga,everything is equal to everything traded...like your example just now,everyone will get straight a1 if everyone traded the same amount of their time to those who did get straight a1.
now,is this really logical?i don't think so.

[youngyew]

As mentioned by someone else above, it all depends on how you define "fair". One of the many definitions I found in the dictionary is as follows:
free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice
If you are talking about the disparity in individual characteristics, of course life is not fair in this context. Brad Pitt is more charming than me; Jessica Alba is prettier than you and her look earns her millions daily. Similarly, I can probably learn maths 10 times faster than you, while you can probably learn to do a somersault in five seconds. Everyone is different, so as long as we are not an army of clones there's never gonna be "fairness" in life.

Life is different, some have it easier, some harder. You may be tempted to summarise it as "life is unfair"; but the word "fair" implies an allocation, a rule, a game or a judgment. Life is none of these.

I contend that there's no reason for us to call life unfair when bad luck befalls us, just like there's no reason to declare it unfair when we win a lottery or lucky draw. Life is a series of odds, twists and turns; you can only play your best with what you are dealt with. That's the only way to make your precious life fair for yourself.

[castle]

good one youngyew....

[kid]

Life is a series of odds, twists and turns; you can only play your best with what you are dealt with. That's the only way to make your precious life fair for yourself.

i understand wat u guys tryin to imply perfectly, infact, sumtimes i agree wit u, but like i said, its pity to see them who work so hard juz 4 nuthing, envy the other who have a great life..

[youngyew]

I guess it takes some time and perspective to unshackle yourself from the frustration. As cliche as it sounds, always remember try not to compare yourself with people who are luckier than you; but look at how privileged you are compared to people who struggle to live or make ends meet.

[kid]

lol, theres a little misunderstanding here, i'm not the one who have d bad luck., but, lot of my friends did, n i cnnot stand the feeling of guilty when seeing how they envying me...

[youngyew]

I see. I was just commenting from the general point of view.

[kid]

well, after i think bout it, maybe u guys r right bout sumtin, all the unfairness in life i saw before are actually the consequences of the fairness in life, and make me believe, the 'trade' system is actually do exist in life..

[chongkeat]

As cliche as it sounds, always remember try not to compare yourself with people who are luckier than you; but look at how privileged you are compared to people who struggle to live or make ends meet.
Well, maybe it's just me, but I'd rather do the opposite. Comparing oneself with the less fortunate may make you more content, but it also makes you complacent. When we compare ourselves to those "luckier" than us, we have a motivation to work harder. Just because I am "relatively" privileged, doesn't mean that I can relax. I think.

Or maybe you're just commenting on the view that such comparisons are being mistaken for "unfairness". If so, then you're probably right. We may not be MTV-style privileged, but we should certainly be thankful (but not complacent) with what we have now.

[senksiang90]

Life is indeed unfair. If life is fair, we would all be homogeneous, no difference among one another. You have a mercedes, I have a mercedes. You have blue eyes, I have blue eyes etc.

The fact that life is unfair creates uniqueness and differences between human beings. So, there's no perfect person in this world. It is from unfairness that jealousy arises. Once jealousy arises, it creates a will for us to always try to be better than others in whatever we do in life(oops... blabbering too much)..

So, conclusion like many of u say, life is indeed unfair. Like what Rocky said to Ginger in Chicken Run.
"It's a cruel world out there doll face. You might as well get used to it."

[kid]

wat do u mean? fair does not mean all of us need to be the same.. that of course, is totally ridiculous... i know the fairness in life can be define in many way, depends on how do we experience life, as for me, now i know that life is fair based on the 'trading sys.' i said before., but 2 define fair as 2 be the same in every aspect, it just unacceptable...

[radio_active91]

i believe in heaven,
so i think life's fair.

[kid]

yup, heaven and hell, are definitely one of the reason why i choose 2 believe life is fair..

[qedx]

technically though since heaven and hell are unproven and even if it does exist it only comes into play after "life", it is outside the bounds of the original question: is life fair?

[Thirdshifter]

Life's like a B.. Life's like eating a red hot chili pepper. What you eat today is going to burn your ass tomorrow.

Before you ask about fairness, You must define it first. There are just to many variables. Be specific and name your criteria of fair and we will be more successful in finding you an answer.

So far you are getting the "work around"

For me, Life is fair as long as I am free to do whatever that i chose to do. Bad or good.

[youngyew]

technically though since heaven and hell are unproven and even if it does exist it only comes into play after "life", it is outside the bounds of the original question: is life fair?
Haha good point! This is almost equivalent to saying "that rigged football match is fair since I am free to beat up the opponent after the match". :)

[senksiang90]

wat do u mean? fair does not mean all of us need to be the same.. that of course, is totally ridiculous...

It means that there wouldn't be any difference between bumis and non-bumis as well in getting our rights. :p. bt don't worry, i'm not a racial guy. Just stating some pts...

[qedx]

Haha good point! This is almost equivalent to saying "that rigged football match is fair since I am free to beat up the opponent after the match". :)

I wish I had a mini you I can carry around on my shoulder to translate my thoughts into humanspeak.

[bluez_aspic]

Haha good point! This is almost equivalent to saying "that rigged football match is fair since I am free to beat up the opponent after the match". :)
That is so not equivalent.

[kid]

Before you ask about fairness, You must define it first. There are just to many variables. Be specific and name your criteria of fair and we will be more successful in finding you an answer.


here, this is from the very first post from this thread.


Is life is fair? wat does fair life suppose 2 mean? Tell us wat u think about a fair life..


i mean, tell me wat do u think of fairness in life? based on ur own definition, of coz there are juz 2 many variables and each of us have the right to define fairness in their own word, the only question exist here, is it reasonable? if fair life has only one definition, then maybe life need to be homogeneous to be fair like many of u proposed before..

[radio_active91]

even if it does exist it only comes into play after "life", it is outside the bounds of the original question: is life fair?

why is not an unfair game unfair?
bcause we have to admit our loss AFTER the game.
if we are announced as a winner after the unfair game,
if we deserved it,
that makes it fair.

so if we had to endure the problems we had in this rotten world,
and get a muchhhhhhhhhh better rewards AFTER we die,
that we deserved them,
isnt life fair?

ok,
in case of anyone of u dont understand,
i'll give another analogy.
lets say i hit a cat.
and AFTER that,
the cat bit me.
isnt that fair?

its not only after.
it can occur at the same time too.
but it rarely happens.
such as suddenly a guy punched me and at the same time,
im punching him too.
isnt that fair?

just my 2 cents

[nur_ieda]

life is fair??

depends on the person itself i guess... some ppl tends to view things on the +ve side.. and the rest, vice versa...

it may seem unfair at the beginning..but if we give an afford to actually do our best, we can improve our life... there is no correct or wrong answer to this question.. depends on individual. everyone will come out with diff answer that sastified how they feel...

but in the end, that's what makes life so interesting~

[castle]

life is never fair.when we win,we celebrate and forget about the losers.but when we lose,that's when we start blaming the world and say that life is not fair...

[tsar]

technically though since heaven and hell are unproven and even if it does exist it only comes into play after "life", it is outside the bounds of the original question: is life fair?

I think it's within the bounds of the question, since whether one goes to heaven or hell depends on one's actions in life.

[pinknotebook]

If you believe in karma, yes life is fair.

Even if you think you've done nothing wrong, there is always a past life to haunt your current actions. So what are you waiting for, go do something nice right this very moment! :D
________
The Office Dicussion (http://www.tv-gossip.com/office/)

[radio_active91]

life is never fair.when we win,we celebrate and forget about the losers.but when we lose,that's when we start blaming the world and say that life is not fair...

its their right to forget anyone, as long as its their brains.
when we lose and we blame the world, (and not ourselves 4 being weak)
it is us who arent being fair.
by admitting our loss and acknowledging our opponents winning,
we're being fair,
and that shows our sportsmanship.

this is assuming that the game is fair.
its a whole diff story if the game isnt fair.

juz my two cents, thou.

[Shoblast]

That is so not equivalent.

"Haha good point! This is almost equivalent to saying "that rigged football match is fair since my boss will beat up the opponent after the match".

there fix'd

[nickvl]

As cliche as it sounds, always remember try not to compare yourself with people who are luckier than you; but look at how privileged you are compared to people who struggle to live or make ends meet.

Isn't dat good ol' schadenfreude?

[bluez_aspic]

"Haha good point! This is almost equivalent to saying "that rigged football match is fair since my boss will beat up the opponent after the match".

there fix'd
Nothing has been fixed except the throwing out of all civility and goodwill.

Boy.

[Shoblast]

*shrug*

Believing in heaven and hell doesn't make life fair. It makes you think its fair. Since what goes on in heaven and hell is so undefined, all the notion gives you is a vindictive anticipation for any righting of self perceived wrongs.

"I am unfortunate in this life, there are people not as fortunate as me. I believe in heaven and hell, ergo, since i was given the short straw in this life, i will be rewarded in the next."

or

"ergo, that person who is more fortunate than me won't be rewarded as much as me"

or

"i can't do anything to that guy who is unfair, but there is heaven and hell. just wait, you bastard. Its gonna be hell for you."

All this relies on a big guy or organization in the supposed afterlife to rebalance everything. And of course, that big guy is aaalways correct.

"My boss will hurt the opponent after the game for being so unfair in that football match."

Except in this case your boss is also the opponents boss, and your lot was given to you by him, just as that more fortunate person / unfortunate person is. Conversely now life is even more unfair because it seems that someone might be playing favoritism. The only advantage? You can always say "my boss knows best and will be looking out for me". At which point the question is moot because you don't need to think about it anymore.

[radio_active91]

*shrug*

Believing in heaven and hell doesn't make life fair. It makes you think its fair. Since what goes on in heaven and hell is so undefined, all the notion gives you is a vindictive anticipation for any righting of self perceived wrongs.

"I am unfortunate in this life, there are people not as fortunate as me. I believe in heaven and hell, ergo, since i was given the short straw in this life, i will be rewarded in the next."

or

"ergo, that person who is more fortunate than me won't be rewarded as much as me"

or

"i can't do anything to that guy who is unfair, but there is heaven and hell. just wait, you bastard. Its gonna be hell for you."

All this relies on a big guy or organization in the supposed afterlife to rebalance everything. And of course, that big guy is aaalways correct.

"My boss will hurt the opponent after the game for being so unfair in that football match."

Except in this case your boss is also the opponents boss, and your lot was given to you by him, just as that more fortunate person / unfortunate person is. Conversely now life is even more unfair because it seems that someone might be playing favoritism. The only advantage? You can always say "my boss knows best and will be looking out for me". At which point the question is moot because you don't need to think about it anymore.


In my religion, what goes in heaven and hell is clearly defined.
So that does make life fair, rite?
About how will us be rewarded,
It all depends on amount/level of sins and deeds u committed.
Playing unfairly=a sin
Being patient=a deed

Sure, lets let the Big Boss decide.
He's never deciding everything on favoritism basis.
There will be the Judgement Day,
Every sins and deeds will be pointed out.

[nickvl]

I'm going to digress a little...

The idea of heaven and hell after death always plagued me. So good ppl go to heaven evil ppl go to hell, right. Simple concept which to some people makes life fair.

But... what can be defined as good and bad in life? The real world is not black and white but merely different shades of gray. I mean, take a real life example...this German guy called Oskar Schindler. He frequently drank in excess, slept around (and didnt care if his wife knew it),neglected his wife and dealt in bribery n had an opulent lifestyle.You may think that this dude has a place in hell. But at the same time, this man,an Aryan, risked his life to protect the Jews and ended up saving thousands of lives from being gassed. And the act of saving another person's life is good, right? So where on earth he should end up after death?

So folks, its not as simple as that.

[bluez_aspic]

*shrug*

Believing in heaven and hell doesn't make life fair. It makes you think its fair. Since what goes on in heaven and hell is so undefined, all the notion gives you is a vindictive anticipation for any righting of self perceived wrongs.

"I am unfortunate in this life, there are people not as fortunate as me. I believe in heaven and hell, ergo, since i was given the short straw in this life, i will be rewarded in the next."

or

"ergo, that person who is more fortunate than me won't be rewarded as much as me"

or

"i can't do anything to that guy who is unfair, but there is heaven and hell. just wait, you bastard. Its gonna be hell for you."

All this relies on a big guy or organization in the supposed afterlife to rebalance everything. And of course, that big guy is aaalways correct.

"My boss will hurt the opponent after the game for being so unfair in that football match."

Except in this case your boss is also the opponents boss, and your lot was given to you by him, just as that more fortunate person / unfortunate person is. Conversely now life is even more unfair because it seems that someone might be playing favoritism. The only advantage? You can always say "my boss knows best and will be looking out for me". At which point the question is moot because you don't need to think about it anymore.
For someone who doesn't subscribe to the existence of an afterlife, you do have very well developed caricatures of heaven and hell.

Is it like Lothl?rien vs. Isengard? Or Rivendell vs. Mordor - with Elrond at the pearly gates of heaven?

Swerving back to the topic - I dunno, but I'm happy with my lot in life. Very happy, in fact.

[Shoblast]

For someone who doesn't subscribe to the existence of an afterlife, you do have very well developed caricatures of heaven and hell.

I can't help it. This idea is so embedded in our culture i see it all the time. Its as embedded as a lobotomy in the brain. :D

[radio_active91]

I'm going to digress a little...

The idea of heaven and hell after death always plagued me. So good ppl go to heaven evil ppl go to hell, right. Simple concept which to some people makes life fair.

But... what can be defined as good and bad in life? The real world is not black and white but merely different shades of gray. I mean, take a real life example...this German guy called Oskar Schindler. He frequently drank in excess, slept around (and didnt care if his wife knew it),neglected his wife and dealt in bribery n had an opulent lifestyle.You may think that this dude has a place in hell. But at the same time, this man,an Aryan, risked his life to protect the Jews and ended up saving thousands of lives from being gassed. And the act of saving another person's life is good, right? So where on earth he should end up after death?

So folks, its not as simple as that.

Whats good and whats bad in my religion is alrdy defined,
Every sin and deed has their levels.
The tortures and rewards depends on how bad the sin is and how good the deed is.

But in my religion,
whether he do how many good deeds,
as long as he's a non-believer to my religion,
he will go into hell.
because to get into heaven (in my religion),
u need to obey all the articles of faith.

im trying to avoid religion matters as far as possible.
but to answer the question,
i had to get into religion matter :P

but i dont know bout other religion, tho

[youngyew]

That is so not equivalent.
Eh? When I said it's almost equivalent, I was referring to the fact that what happens in afterlive (if it exists) is totally out of the context of "fairness" in life, just like what happens after a football match has nothing to do with the fairness in the match itself. Of course I am wrong if you include "afterlife" as part of life, but then we would be dabbling in semantics in that case.

That's where the equivalence ends - I wasn't saying that the two cases are exactly the same, so don't go and analyse the "beat up the opponent part". :P

[nickvl]

Whats good and whats bad in my religion is alrdy defined,
Every sin and deed has their levels.
The tortures and rewards depends on how bad the sin is and how good the deed is.

But in my religion,
whether he do how many good deeds,
as long as he's a non-believer to my religion,
he will go into hell.
because to get into heaven (in my religion),
u need to obey all the articles of faith.

im trying to avoid religion matters as far as possible.
but to answer the question,
i had to get into religion matter :P

but i dont know bout other religion, tho

at least there is a guideline...thanks for clearing it up...and no i didnt meant to take it to religion matter :))

[Shoblast]

That's where the equivalence ends - I wasn't saying that the two cases are exactly the same, so don't go and analyse the "beat up the opponent part".

I believe that's my job :p

[KimKim]

Of course life is fair

because

the world is fair because it's unfair

[CCY_to_the_top]

life is fair...everything happens for a reason..

[Keiko123]

I hope the reasonssss would be the advantagessss...

I believe in God. *pray hard hard* >.<

Trying to console myself...
Life is fair, Life is fair, Life is fair, Life is fair, Life is fair, Life is fair, Life is fair, ... LOL.
However, if I continue like this, I think I would be going nuts sooner or later. :fist :wall