A Fair Fight
It really irks me when people whine by saying "it's not fair!" Because not only is life unfair, it's really impossible to be fair, at least in the way most people understand.
I mean if we were to be completely fair, that would mean everyone would have to be equal. For example, if two writers were competing against each other, they should have had the same background and opportunities from the day they were born up to the present. They should have identical DNA and identical skills, identical mental capacities and identical physiologies. They also should have been reared the same way and had the same education. Even on the very moment they were competing, the conditions and environment they're in should be the same.
Of course logic dictates that this kind of scenario is impossible. Because we're all born differently, all raised in varying circumstances. Even if you're the parents of twins, the way you raise both of them will not be identical, and the environment they're exposed to will not always be the same (for example, their relationships with their friends will vary). And even in the event that such a scenario happens, logic also dictates that the result should be a tie. But competitions, for example, seldom end in a tie. The determining factor becomes not your own set of skills or talents (since they're supposed to be "equal") but luck or chance. Of course the presence of luck or chance means that one side is favored and one isn't, so the battlefield isn't really equal or fair.
Thus a truly "fair" scenario is impossible, and all these assumes controlled conditions. And life is anything but controlled conditions.
Of course having said all that, that's not to say rules should be bent and every underhanded technique you know should be used to give you an advantage. For me, being fair means that I won't use any undue advantage to aid my case. I mean I already can't change whatever educational background I've attained, for example. What's past is past, and part of my edge is my accumulated knowledge and skill. However, in a competition, it is under my complete control whether to cheat or not, to sabotage my opponent or not, etc. These are factors that I can perform and change, and it is assumed by everyone else that I do not use these kinds of methods to garner me an advantage.
A fair fight isn't really a fair fight. But that doesn't mean each one of us don't have their own brand of ethics or set of morals to govern their actions. And in the end, we all have, albeit unwittingly, unfair advantages.
It really irks me when people whine by saying "it's not fair!" Because not only is life unfair, it's really impossible to be fair, at least in the way most people understand.
I mean if we were to be completely fair, that would mean everyone would have to be equal. For example, if two writers were competing against each other, they should have had the same background and opportunities from the day they were born up to the present. They should have identical DNA and identical skills, identical mental capacities and identical physiologies. They also should have been reared the same way and had the same education. Even on the very moment they were competing, the conditions and environment they're in should be the same.
Of course logic dictates that this kind of scenario is impossible. Because we're all born differently, all raised in varying circumstances. Even if you're the parents of twins, the way you raise both of them will not be identical, and the environment they're exposed to will not always be the same (for example, their relationships with their friends will vary). And even in the event that such a scenario happens, logic also dictates that the result should be a tie. But competitions, for example, seldom end in a tie. The determining factor becomes not your own set of skills or talents (since they're supposed to be "equal") but luck or chance. Of course the presence of luck or chance means that one side is favored and one isn't, so the battlefield isn't really equal or fair.
Thus a truly "fair" scenario is impossible, and all these assumes controlled conditions. And life is anything but controlled conditions.
Of course having said all that, that's not to say rules should be bent and every underhanded technique you know should be used to give you an advantage. For me, being fair means that I won't use any undue advantage to aid my case. I mean I already can't change whatever educational background I've attained, for example. What's past is past, and part of my edge is my accumulated knowledge and skill. However, in a competition, it is under my complete control whether to cheat or not, to sabotage my opponent or not, etc. These are factors that I can perform and change, and it is assumed by everyone else that I do not use these kinds of methods to garner me an advantage.
A fair fight isn't really a fair fight. But that doesn't mean each one of us don't have their own brand of ethics or set of morals to govern their actions. And in the end, we all have, albeit unwittingly, unfair advantages.
posted by Charles at 6:39 AM
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