Life Isn't Fair

I think this is an insidiously evil thing to teach our children. I hear parents tell their kids this and I cringe.

Many times this phrase can be the instigator for an institutional bystander syndrome. We know that the psychology of groups are affected heavily by those who are perceived as leaders, and also that in sociological terms we see that people will often opt to remain inactive when they see need from the confines of a group. They  choose to believe that someone else will meet that need for whatever reason.

So do we need to repeat this mantra and look to our shoe tips as we face the difficulties of life? Or should we instead meet needs when we see them? Should we spare our lives and protect ourselves from pain, psychologically or otherwise?

What is life? Isn't that the question?

Is life lived in the absence of pain?

Or is it living in embrace of our shared humanity? Is it experiencing the plethora of the emotions and sensory appointments that we will encounter, and bringing others along for the ride and allowing ourselves the same?