immune. The ‘plague’ never disappears. It waits
patiently until it can raise its ugly head. What
can we vulnerable humans do? The leading
protagonist, Dr. Bernard Rieux, is a physician
who treats the first victim of the disease and first
uses the word ‘plague’ to describe it. He urges
the authorities to take action to stop the spread
of the epidemic, works long hours to treat the
victims, and does the best he can during the
major health crisis. “The only way to fight the
plague is with decency,” he concludes.
So, yes, on a cosmic level, life is unfair – going
beyond our perceived notions of what a fair
world should look like. We have no control over
this randomness. We need to acknowledge it,
accept it, and learn to live with it. But we can
control how we react to it! We can control how
we act when bad things happen. In an unfair
world, we can choose to be fair individuals. I am
referring now to interpersonal fairness – fairness
in the ways we treat each other.
In terms of moral ethics, notions of interper-sonal
fairness can be based on three divergent
modes of thought, each representing a specific
fairness principle:
1. One view is that fairness should be
achieved through equality: Everybody should
get the same sized piece of cake (even though
children are known to ask for ‘the bigger half’...).
The Greek statue of justice which adorns court-houses
around the world wears a blindfold. The
message is that justice should treat all people
equally.
2. A second view is that fairness should
be achieved through the principle of deserv-edness:
people should get what they deserve
– those who work hard and are successful should
keep what they have managed to earn. Close to
this is the idea that fairness should be based on
reciprocity: getting back out what one has put in.
3. A third view is that fairness should focus
on the principle of need: We humans have
obligations to one another, and fairness should
be based on (responsive to) need. Those who
have more should help those who have less.
Fairness, according to this principle, is related
to concepts such as compassion, responsibility,
and social justice. The principle on which the
kibbutz movement was established was: From
each according to his ability, to each according
to his needs.
Regardless of the notion of fairness each of
us endorses (we may choose fairness paradigms
that integrate the different principles), being fair
to others means paying attention to how our
actions affect others, listening to others’ needs
with an open mind, not blaming others for our
mistakes, not taking unfair advantage of others.
The Golden Rule of treating others as we would
like to be treated is found in many religions
and cultures: We should not use different rules
for ourselves and for others. We should do for
others what we expect others to do for us. It’s
not fair to do to others what we would not want
done to us.
An important tenet to remember is that, in
order to practice being fair to others, we must
also commit to being fair to ourselves: Take our
own needs into consideration, in conjunction
with attending to the needs of others. Accept
that our best is good enough, even when it isn’t
perfect. Accept that we excel in some areas of
functioning but not in others. Try not to focus on
the areas we are not good at, looking to chastise
ourselves. Mistakes? Try not to dwell on them.
We all make them, big and little. What could
have been looks perfect in hindsight. Learning
from our mistakes is better than blaming our-selves
for them.
Does fairness require reciprocity? Should we
expect to get something back whenever we give?
Not necessarily. One of the very wise sayings in
the book of Ecclesiastes (11:1) is: “Cast your
bread upon waters, for you will find it after
many days.” Be fair and, beyond fairness, give
generously without worrying about what you
might or might not get in return. Someday,
directly or indirectly, you may find your reward...
My inspiration, Austrian psychiatrist, neurolo-gist,
and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl, said:
“Everything can be taken from a man but one
thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose
one’s attitude at any given set of circumstances,
to choose one’s own way...”
And Isabel Allende, in Zorro:
“Do you truly believe that life is fair, Senor
de la Vega?
- No, maestro, but I plan to do everything
in my power to make it so.”
October 2020 ¢ NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER 17