Merriam Webster defines fairness as the quality or state of being fair
especially: fair or impartial treatment: lack of favoritism toward one side or another.
As we humans live our lives we can often be heard to say, 'that's just not fair'. Whether it is someone working hard to only continually get passed over for a promotion. The promoted person doesn't think it unfair while the person not promoted is all upset. In situations where humans are making decisions that have an effect on another person's life, wages, etc., judgment and impartiality come into play.
What happens when it comes to health? Who or what is making those decisions? My great-great-nephew fell ill for no apparent reason in October 2019. He almost died. He lived but has side effects from one of the treatments that saved his life. He is in public school and doing pretty good. He may have lost a step or two from the autoimmune encephalitis but he continues to improve. Even named student of the month in his teacher's class. Was it fair for him to live and other children to die? Or is it simply just life?
Through the Stretch Lab that I attend weekly, I have become acquainted with a lovely lady, Erica. She is the mother of my flexologist, Cierra, the person the stretches my body in all sorts of directions. Erica is in her late 50's. She has been suffering from early-onset dementia for at least 6 or 7 years. To give you an idea of how the disease had compromised her brain, let me share a recent interchange.
Cierra mentioned she was so excited her mom had mentioned she wanted to start writing. Cierra said her mom wrote beautifully. Sierra had shared a photo of some of her mom's journaling. Then Cierra posted a video of Erica working on her writing. Mind you, Erica was a painter, crafter, and a super cook according to Cierra. In the video, Erica is working on learning/relearning to make the basic printed letters learned in kindergarten. My heart broke. Cierra is committed to caring for her mother at home for as long as possible.
Cierra is holding down a full-time job at Stretch Lab. She is working on developing an online business. Until last March, Erica had lived with her husband on a small ranch in Mexico. The husband passed suddenly. The family was faced with so many decisions, primarily, how to care for Erica. Cierra had always promised her mom she would care for her so that brings us to now.
What is fair in these situations? Erica did nothing to cause the illness. Cierra chose to be the primary caregiver for her mom. And where are we other humans in all the talk of fairness? There are billionaires spending all sorts of money to explore outer space. Money that could be spent to feed people, innoculate people, all sorts of philanthropic endeavors. It would be easy to judge the choice of the billionaires is not fair.
Think for a moment about this. The International Space Station studies on radiation have led to benefitial breast cancer treatments. My friend from high school had the benefit of those treatments. She has been free of breast cancer for 5 years to date. With that fact in mind, I cannot judge the billionaires for their choices as fair or unfair. I can hope they choose to do research for the good of humanity and the earth.
May you find life fair, full of peace, and love,
Janice
Hari Om
ReplyDeleteAn interesting take... may I offer a view? The definition of fairness shows that the application of fairness is an intellectual one. It pertains to a balanced approach other people in regard to situations over which we have some control. Those stricken with any disease or disorder are not faced with an intellectual dilemma of balance, but one posed by the natural forces that rule us - no matter how we would wish it otherwise. Fairness does not apply - although the frustrations that arise from those situations may cause us to cry 'it is so unfair'... but against whom do we cry in that regard? There is no one to whom we can make an appeal of logic or reparation.
Fairness does apply where we see billionaires carrying out what appears to be vanity projects and spouting hubris about colonising other worlds. Then again, what makes them any different than the Viking explorers who were driven by the desire for land and goods? Or from the religious refugees of Europe who were determined to settle the lands of others for their own, ultimately selfish, desires? Humankind is basically expansionist. Often at the cost of members of its own race. Even this supposedly technologically and socially advanced age, we often fail ourselves... and many are left on the 'unfair' side of the balance.
OOOHHHH A lovely, provocative piece Janice!!! &*> YAM xx
Thank you for the thoughtful comment. My oldest sister commented that she worked until she was 80 so she could afford to do some travelling. Then surgeries, heart stents, and terminal cancer led her to say it was unfair. Her words induced me to ponder on the fairness issue for a few days. Take care. namaste, janice xx
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