As I was growing up, I knew a man who stood for, and in fact fought for…Truth, Justice and the American Way.

I mean, this guy was super. He had super-human strength, X-ray vision, and he could fly! He couldn’t lie, and he loved his mama.

Heck, as I recall, he even assembled a group of super-human friends and formed a special group. It was called the Justice League!

He was Earth’s ultimate defense against an unjust world. In some ways, he was MY ultimate defense against an unjust world.

Like many of us, I used to believe that “justice” was a normal and natural part of life. I was taught that good always conquered evil, that hard work always trumped luck, and that in the end…justice would always be served.

Today? I’m not so sure.

In fact if I’m honest, I’m pretty damn certain that justice is not the natural state of the world. At least for us ‘civilized’ humans. (Mother nature is a much different story.)

If I sit back and observe, I can find injustice…all around me. And I can wonder, where does this end? Where is the accountability?

And perhaps the crowd favorite these days: How is this FAIR?

People often talk about the lessons that aren’t being taught in schools, and rightly so. Things like personal finances, basic construction or survival skills, self-awareness, entrepreneurship.

But what about teaching the harsh reality of the infrequency of justice?

Put another way: Life isn’t FAIR.

How often have you seen someone that hasn’t worked hard for their success?
How often have you seen someone get away with acting like a fool?
How often have you witnessed these clown-puppets that we call elected ‘leaders’ lie directly to the faces of their constituents…without consequence. Without so much as a whispered call for them to answer for their own hypocrisy. Let alone a cry for justice.

Life. Isn’t. Fair.

There is no magic equilibrium that will inherently restore balance to the scales of justice. And last I looked, there was no Super-Man.

This is a lesson that should be taught. In the classroom. In the workplace. In-depth.

And not in a fashion meant to bring us down. Not in a way that’s meant to tarnish the natural shine of a child. But in a way that brings an eternal optimism to one’s life that can only come from the realization that while life is certainly not fair, all of us have the ability to choose.

Truth, Justice, and even the American Way…are in our hands. They lie in the decisions we make regarding our day-to-day actions. Our attitude. Our example. Our effort. Our resolve. Our service.

Our optimism. Our love. Our compassion. Our tolerance. Our intolerance. Our standard.

And the unwillingness of our spirit to be torn down by what is surely an unjust world.

Discard the notion that justice is naturally served…and fight for it.

Discard the notion that you deserve something…and work for it.

Realize that life isn’t fair. Anticipate it. And then embrace it as the most profound opportunity that life provides.

The opportunity to make a difference.

Wouldn’t that be super?

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