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A friend of mine, in response to a conversation we were having about the injustices of life, asked me the question, “Who said life was going to be fair, or that it was even meant to be fair?” Her question was agood one. It reminded me of something I was taught as a youngster: life isn’t fair. It’s a disappointment, but it’s absolutely true. One of the mistakes many of us make is that we feel sorry for ourselves, or for others, thinking that life should be fair, or that someday it will be. It’s not and it won’t be.
One of the nice things about surrendering to the fact that life isn’t fair is that it keeps us from feeling sorry for ourselves by encouraging us to do the very best we can with what we have. We know it’s not “life’s job”to make everything perfect: it’s our own challenge. Surrendering to this fact also keeps us from feeling sorry for others because we are reminded that everyone is dealt a different hand; everyone has unique strengths and problems in the process of growing up, facing the reality and making decisions; and everyone has those times that they feel unfairly treated.
The fact that life isn’t fair doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do everything in our power to improve our own lives or the world as a whole. To the contrary, it suggests that we should. When we don’t recognize or admit that life isn’t fair, we tend to feel pity for others and for ourselves. Pity, of course, is a self-defeating emotion that does nothing for anyone, except to make everyone feel worse than they already do. When we do recognize that life isn’t fair, however, we feel compassion for others and for ourselves. And compassion is a heartfelt emotion that delivers loving-kindness to everyone it touches. The next time you find yourself thinking about the injustices of the world, try reminding yourself of this very basic fact. Youmay be surprised that it can make you out of self-pity and into helpful action.
练习题：
Choose correct answers to the question:
1.The author thought of his friend's question as a good one, because _______.
A. he also wanted to know who held such an opinion
B. it made him recall something during his childhood
C. like his friend, he also thought life was unfair
D. he learned something from the question as a youngster
2.Surrendering to the fact that life isn't fair will ________.
A. keep us from making everything perfect
B. keep us from doing everything in our power
C. make us face challenges in the life bravely
D. make us know it's our duty to perfect things
3.The second paragraph of the passage mainly discusses _______.
A. it's nice to accept the injustice of life
B. it's nice to surrender to the life
C. we should not surrender to the life
D. we should not feel sorry for ourselves
4.In the last paragraph, “this very basic fact” refers to the fact that ________.
A. you should not pity for others
B. life isn't and won't be fair
C. sympathy is a heartfelt emotion
D. pity is a self-defeating emotion
5.From the passage, we can learn that the author's attitude to life is ________.
A. positive B. negative C. Self-pity D. indifferent
