Life is fair: you get out of it what you put into it

There is an often-used phrase that I really dislike — “Life isn’t fair.”

Life is fair.

People who think life isn’t fair usually think they are owed something they haven’t received or achieved.

Yes, there are haves and have-nots. But they don’t just happen. They divide themselves by their effort, somewhat, but mostly by their decision-making.

Some people blame racism. But there are millionaire blacks, Hispanics, Asians and members of other ethnic groups. They will tell they overcame all obstacles, including racism in some cases.

But, you say, all men are created equal. No they are not. I am 5-4 and my son is six feet. But all men are created with equal opportunity to succeed.

What made me think of the “life isn’t fair” lie was meeting Othello McDonald’s owner Fernando Moreno recently. I went into that interview thinking he was an American-born Hispanic.

As a matter of fact, he was a 14-year-old kid going down the drain fast in Mexico. His mother, who lived in Chicago, saved him by fetching him.

The first two big decisions were made for Fernando. His mother brought him over, and she told him to learn English well.

The first good decision Fernando made was serving in the Army. He grew into manhood at 19, and came to realize computerization was the future.

His second good decision was to educate himself. He became a computer programmer. He worked for United Airlines for 14 years and then joined McDonald’s in search of independence.

Flea market vendors are a group of people I really appreciate. They gather at Mattawa, Pasco, Toppenish and other places just about every weekend and sell, sell, sell.

Some go to Los Angeles and bring back pickup or truck loads of all kinds of product. Some of them work in the packing houses and fields all week. Eventually I find some of them operating mom and pop stores in their communities.

If you’re one of the have-nots and want to be one of the haves, then educate yourself. Seek out the haves and learn from them. Start making better decisions.

Life is fair. You’ll get out of it equally to what you put into it.