"Half" is an interesting word. We learned in math class that half means 2
equal parts, but that's not what many people actually want. They want more than equal, at least more
than that person. That's how they can
know they're better than the person who got less.
We can't give away everything donated to the food giveaway as there
might not be enough of something for everyone to get an item. Old ladies will claw each other's eyes out
if "She got a pineapple! I
want a pineapple!" So sorry, that
was the last one. I could cut it in half
so you each have some... "NO! I want that one! So much for Solomon's solutions to problem
resolution. An old woman's greed means
she gets less goodies but you can't tell her that. And if I were to find another pineapple for the whiner 10 other
women will screech they want pineapples too.
Nope. No pineapples for
anybody. We'll give them to the shelter
or compost them. The old ladies are
happy because they never knew we had any pineapples in the first place.
I think our desire for fairness is built into our DNA. Monkeys scream like old ladies at a
food giveaway if one monkey gets more treats than another. Children identify equal with laser precision
when it comes to cake. Yet there are an
awful lot of people who really think their half ought to be bigger.
I've always had a hard time understanding why some think
they're losing if another gets something.
Someone else's success makes them feel bad, and the worst people try to
sabotage that success. It would be more
sensible to learn from that person's achievement. What did they do to bring about this happy result? Apply that to your own situation so you'll succeed
too. If one artist sells a lot of
paintings, that means there is an audience for your paintings, or books, or
whatever it is you do. Someone else's
success builds a road for you to ride on.
Success isn't cake.
There's only so much cake.
Success is unlimited like love -- though I realize some people think if
this person loves that one then that's love they aren't getting. I can love a lot of people in different
ways. I don't have to center it all on
one person for it to count.
I watched Jordan Klepper video of a woman at a Trump rally
who said gay people wanted too much.
"You mean equal?" Jordan asked. The woman agreed, yes, equal.
"And that's just too much?"
"Yeah." Well, how do
you argue with that? Someone else told
me gay marriage hurt her marriage.
"How?", I asked nicely.
She didn't have an answer. She
just felt like someone else having what she had meant what she had was
devalued.
I'm not all kumbaya about this (though it would be superb if
everyone loved everyone else and helped everyone else to succeed). I'm just talking practical sense. Take your half of what you're due. Marriages work when the partners each feels
they're getting their share of the benefits and the chores. Good workers do their part and get raises
and promotions in a healthy work environment.
Helping someone may come back to you at a later time by someone helping
you. Half a slice of cheesecake with a
friend is wonderful. Call it karma or
whatever you like, equal can be great.
