The Story of “Life Is Unfair”

Lisa was upset. Tears were rolling down her face as she walked to the family car. She hated the thought of wearing seeing glasses. None of her friends at school wore them, and now she would be the only one. She would look different from everyone else, and she was scared.

Why was she the one who had to look “different” in front of all her friends? Life was so unfair.

Lisa did not want to look different. She did not want her friends to make fun of her, or exclude her from things. The more she thought about it, the more it made her sad and upset. The more she felt sorry for herself and her situation, the harder she cried.

Lisa wanted to be liked. She wanted to be accepted, and looking different was not going to achieve that.

So began the story of “life is unfair”. The thought was planted that somehow Lisa was singled out, that she got the proverbial short straw.

It is common to feel that we are the victims of an unfair life when events and situations do not go our way. We can easily start to feel life and the universe are against us and that life is just “unfair”.

But when we look through the lens of “life is unfair”, we miss out on the opportunity of seeing and perceiving things differently.

Our greatest gift as a human is that we are uniquely different. For there is no one else who feels, thinks, and acts like you.

Society, however, does not want you to be different, to think for yourself, or make your own choices. It prefers you to conform and take the path that others have taken before you. To ensure that you take this path, it perpetuates stories of comparisons, missing out, and the idea that “life is unfair”. It tells you that if you do not conform to the social norms, then there is something wrong with you and that you are unacceptable, unworthy, and unlikeable.

These stories are simply untrue.

Being different means being yourself, and being true to who you really are. Instead of seeing your differences as an indication that something is wrong with you and thinking that life is unfair, learn to celebrate your differences, celebrate your uniqueness, and walk your own path.

This week’s challenge is to choose to do and see things differently. To see and appreciate the beauty in differences, in yourself, and in others. The goal is to be as authentic as we can be.

You can choose to see your own beauty in art by choosing one of the free drawings under the Resources section and colouring outside of the lines to gain a different perspective. Or choose to do a drawing meditation and allow yourself the opportunity of making marks that embrace your unique personality.

Remember what makes you different also makes you beautiful!

Deborah Ruth
Storyteller