Finding Balance in an Unfair World

On grief, perspective, and learning to live meaningfully

There is a lot in the world right now that feels unfair — or at the very least, uncertain. I’m not even talking about global issues. I mean the small-scale, everyday heartbreaks. People taken far too soon. People whose worlds change in an instant. People who went from stressing over the little things in life to suddenly facing the kind of loss or challenge that makes all those things feel completely unimportant.

It makes me reflect on my own life. Am I living it the way I should? Am I wasting energy on things that won’t matter in the end? I’m sure I am. We all do, sometimes.

I find myself wavering between the desire to live a full, meaningful life — to leave my mark — and the feeling that life is utterly futile. Is the thing I’m stressing about today really that important in the grand scheme of things? But then again, what is big enough to deserve my attention, if everything can change in a moment? Is there any point in trying to do anything at all?

I see the randomness and unfairness of life all around me. Sometimes it’s through colleagues or acquaintances, sometimes it’s within my own family. Even if the odds of something bad happening are infinitesimally small, they still happen to someone. What makes me think I’ll be the one to beat the odds forever?

And yet, despite everything, there is hope.