Fair Is a Foul Word - Grasshopper

Years ago, it hit me – “fair” is a fairy tale. In fact, fair is a foul word.

Now, don’t get me wrong. We still need it in baseball, basketball, county shindigs, and sports of all sorts. But outside of that? “Fair” just doesn’t hold up.

Think about it. Reality doesn’t stop to ask your opinion before it does its thing. Reality acts. Then we react. And all too often, that reaction is: “This isn’t fair.”

But here’s the problem: “fair” is just judgment. We start judging reality. And somehow, we’ve been conditioned to believe that our judgment changes what’s already happened. That’s like spraying your car, then trying to shove the water back into the hose. It’s distorted logic – a funhouse mirror way of thinking.

The reality is, fair doesn’t exist. It’s just an interpretation, a knee-jerk reaction.

A better way? Respond to reality instead of reacting to it. There is a difference. Reactions are quick, emotional, boxed in. Responses come from a deeper place, with more options. It's the difference between the kiddie pool in your backyard . . . and the Pacific Ocean.

Reactions keep you stuck in place. Responses move you forward. So instead of saying, “This isn’t fair,” try saying, “This is reality.”

Because once you see it for what it is, you stop playing the victim. You stop waiting on “fair.” And you open up a whole ocean of choices.

And you put fair where it belongs – back in Grimm's book of fairy tales.

Fair enough?

All the best,