That’s what little kids say – “It’s not fair!” If adults say that, they’re considered childish and immature.
Of course it’t not fair. People have been saying, “Nothing in life is fair,” for eons. Well, that sucks. What a cheap way out.
Let’s give this a little context: All my life, I’ve been told what to do. People (namely parents, pastors, leaders, teachers, bosses, managers, police, judges, and generally opinionated, bossy individuals) have given me all sorts of directions, requirements, suggestions, commands, mandates and regulations. Sometimes it seems like everyone on earth has a certain way they function and they DEMAND all others function in exactly the same way. All I’ve ever wanted was freedom. Freedom to make my mistakes, fix them, learn through trial and error, and to be who I want to be. I want the freedom to have my own thoughts, feelings, perspectives and beliefs, not simply copy those things from other people.
Sometimes the directive is for my benefit and society’s benefit. Rules of the road, for example. Give people space. Don’t tailgate. Wait your turn. Come to a complete stop. Give pedestrians the right of way. Don’t split the lane on a motorcycle doing 70 mph on I-5. Simple, basic things. Things we should all do to ensure everyone stays safe and happy on the road.
Other times, the demand is, “IF YOU AREN’T FUCKING OBSESSED WITH EATING AVOCADO TOAST IN IBIZA WHILE LISTENING TO BABY SHARK AND CHANTING MANTRAS TO SHIVA, KALI AND KRISHNA, THEN THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU AND YOU AREN’T TRULY LIVING!!”
When I was a kid, my dad put a mushroom on my plate and said, “Eat it.” I asked, “What is it?” He said, “Just eat it.” I said I didn’t want to, he said if I didn’t, he was gonna spank me. I put it in my mouth and it squished like the ear of a monkey. It was disgusting. I leaned forward and was about to spit it out and he yelled, “YOU CAN’T SPIT IT OUT! YOU HAVE TO SWALLOW IT!” I cried. It sucked. If I was a full grown adult, that never would have happened.
I never went into the military because I don’t like receiving orders from other people.
I don’t even like receiving orders from managers, bosses and people leaders, but I need to get paid, so I do it anyway.
Recently, I’ve had many experiences where other people have gotten away with doing wrong things, and it’s not fair.
- People at work have lied, blamed others, not been detail-oriented team players, and they think they can get away with being verbally and emotionally abusive to contractors, namely ME. It’s not fair.
- I applied to and interviewed for a job with a state office on MARCH 25th. I wrote a thank you note that day. I emailed a reminder on April 11th. I sent ANOTHER reminder on April 25th. FINALLY on May 5th, I got an email from their HR dept, saying they’d have a response for me no later than May 15th, 2025. Every time I’ve been given an offer by a place of business, they give me 24-48 hours to accept or decline. It’s not fair.
- Whenever I take my son to school, the drivers in the school parking lot are the most impatient, disrespectful drivers I’ve ever seen in my life. They selfishly go first when they shouldn’t, they cut in line, they park in non-parking spots which makes it difficult for people like me, who actually do the right thing by PARKING IN THE APPROPRIATE SPACES! It’s not fair!
- I have a buddy that’s going through legal trouble because his ex-girlfriend claimed that he stole something from her, then she had him served with a restraining order because she “didn’t feel safe” or some bullshit and he has to go through all this legal hell because she’s a vindictive bitch. He’s just trying to live his life peacefully and she’s gotta start a bunch of shit. It’s not fair.
- My son doesn’t want to go to school because he doesn’t feel like it. You know what? I had no choice! I had to go to school, church, work, and a bunch of other places that other people wanted me to go and even though I felt obligated, I still did it. How come I was forced to do all this stuff and he thinks he can do whatever he wants? It’s not fair!
I’ve been told to watch my mouth, be a courteous driver, go above and beyond, be a team player, don’t be selfish, be flexible, be positive and find the cloud’s silver lining, always look on the bright side of life, go with the flow, work together with people, speak the truth in love, be gentle, have some understanding, don’t be a dick, take one for the team, win one for the gipper, always be respectful of others, do the right thing, follow the rules, be an upstanding citizen, say please and thank you, don’t take what’s not yours, no trespassing, no u-turns, no passing, serve your jury duty, pay your taxes, cover your mouth, hold the door, tip the waiter, don’t invade personal space, be on time, keep quiet, dress appropriately, don’t stare and FUCKING RECYCLE!!
The point is, I know that some of these rules, laws and social norms were once good ideas, put in place by people with good intentions. For example, pavements and sidewalks were invented because some asshat once ran over a pedestrian. Ever since, moms have been scared to let their children play in the street. “Stay on the sidewalk! Look both ways! Use a crosswalk!” Why do parents blast these rules? Because they don’t trust children to have common sense and they’re afraid the children will get hurt or killed by some selfish, impatient asshat driver, who they also don’t trust to pay attention to the kids in the street, and slow down and give them time to get out of the way.
Even though many commands, directives and orders are meant for good, not all of them always apply to every situation and scenario. Let’s also keep in mind that certain individuals LOVE to hold others accountable and threaten them with consequences if the rules aren’t followed and obeyed. THEREFORE, I when certain folks tell me I gotta do something, when they like, how they like, just as they like, and if I don’t, I will suffer in some way, shape or form, most times, I will agree to do whatever they said unless it doesn’t apply to the specific situation. For example, a person might say, “Excuse me, sir – are you a resident of this neighborhood? I haven’t seen you around here before and this area is only for residents. If you don’t leave, I’m going to call the police.” To which I would reply, “Go ahead and call the police, Karen. This is a public area and I can walk wherever I want. I’m not hurting anyone. I’m not disturbing the peace. I’m not doing anything illegal. I’m just going for a peaceful walk ON THE FUCKING SIDEWALK WHERE I SHOULD BE, so, with all due respect, you can fuck all the way off.”
I am sick and fucking tired of these dictating, domineering, demanding assholes that push their presumptions and forceful regulations on me just because they think they can get away with it. I’ve been ordered to be a good boy. Why don’t they have to obey those orders? It’s not fair.
