“The beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair.” -Reliant K
How true is that! What would happen to us if life truly were fair? At first glance we think this’d be a good thing. We’d be rewarded for hard work, we’d be vindicated for the wrongs that have been inflicted upon us, and those who’ve broken the law would be delivered to justice. Sounds great, right?
Oh, whoops. I forgot a big piece of the puzzle: I’ve screwed up. A lot.
Just like my brain has euphoric recall when reminiscing about the debauchery of my past, my self-righteous ego can only remember the times I was victimized, trespassed upon, or otherwise disgraced. I start to think how great it would be if all the bastards of the world got their just desserts. All of a sudden I’m doling out sentences to guilty parties without even acknowledging my own crimes. When I take a glance at the moments I’ve been delivered from consequence, my shouts for justice become a little quieter.
I went through a period in my 20’s where I decided that all the ex-girlfriends of the world should be placed on a desert island. I was so insecure that I couldn’t stomach the idea of my beau having a life before Sara. You could almost hear the maniacal laughter as I fancied my plan to eradicate the world of evil exes! Mwuah ah ah! But just like the villains in the storybooks, I didn’t thoroughly think through my scheme. You see, I was an ex-girlfriend too. I was just as eligible for exile as the rest of the vicious shrews.
Claiming fairness in this world is possibly the most hypocritical thing we can do. Who among us has not hurt another, broken the law, taken others for granted, lied, coveted, raged, and so on? Some of us believe in Karma: you reap what you sow. But there exists a fantastic force in the universe that sometimes intercedes when Karma comes calling. It’s called grace. Grace is an undeserved gift from the heavens. A second chance. A divine intervention. A way out. Grace is that wonderful thing that keeps life from being fair; and thank goodness! Because think for a moment: what would become of you if life were truly fair?
Michael, LOVE THAT.
I still hear your voice in my head when I get all jacked up about an ex: “Exes are exes for a reason.”
Resentment used to fuel my engines for just about any life-function. Then this little nugget slapped me in the face:
“Anger: an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on to which it is poured.” Seneca
Another reason you need(ed) to see Scott Pigrim: the League of Evil Exes.
I love your point here. People would be less quick to judge if they’d recall what they’ve gotten away with more often…
Too good and true. I got chills.