LIFE ISN’T FAIR . . . GET OVER IT!
To all those who make the proclamation that life isn’t fair, I say this:
You’re absolutely right. Life wasn’t fair yesterday, it’s not fair today, and I can guarantee you that it won’t be fair tomorrow.
In 1789, Benjamin Franklin wrote, “But in this world nothing can said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
While I would never presume to compare myself to the illustrious Mr. Franklin, I would like to add a third item to his list of things that can said to be certain:
Life (real life, not that nonsense on those so-called reality shows) doesn’t care if you’re deaf, hearing, hard of hearing, male, female, transsexual, black, white, fuchsia, Christian, Muslim, atheist, American, Russian, Klingon, tall, short, underweight, overweight, blond, brunette, redheaded, or bald.
Life is an equal opportunity offender. No matter who you are, there will come a time in your life when you will encounter a situation that will cause you to stop and wonder just what you did to deserve such a thing.
But something interesting happened. Despite all of life’s unfairness and despite the fact that there are still a number of woefully uninformed individuals in society who equate a loss of auditory capacity with a loss of cognitive function, some pretty amazing things happened.
I. King Jordan became the first deaf president of Gallaudet University in 1988. I don’t care how you currently feel about him. This was the first time in 125 years that a deaf person was appointed to that august position.
The Americans With Disabilities Act was passed in 1990.
In 1994, it became mandatory for all televisions to have closed-captioning technology built into them. No more would people have to mount a box the size of a Cadillac on top of their television sets. Just push a button and captions appear!
Hotels have become more “deaf friendly.” So have cruise lines.
There are more deaf businessmen, doctors, lawyers, financial planners, firemen, teachers, veterinarians, and so forth than at any other point in history.
Educational and occupational opportunities for the deaf have grown by leaps and bounds. In the mid-1950s, the number of deaf and hard of hearing students in college numbered in the hundreds. Today, they number in the tens of thousands! That’s quite a bump up.
The best part of all this, the part that absolutely boggles the mind, is that these fantastic events have taken place in just the last twenty years.
Think about it, I urge you. Hundreds of years of oppression have begun to be reversed in just twenty years.
Where did all of this happen? Right here in America.
No one will ever convince me that this country, with all its faults, does not provide the best opportunities for the deaf community out of any country in the world.
Yes, there is still a long way to go. Yes, there are still injustices that need to be corrected. Not everything is perfect. I recognize this. I still get angry about it, too. I’ve had my fair share of temper tantrums, trust me.
However, while you are continuing the good fight for equality and respect, take the time to reflect on and enjoy the successes that have been achieved so far. This is an exciting time to be alive because the struggles you face today will make the world better for you tomorrow. Future generations of deaf and hard of hearing individuals will thank you.
Things are improving. They may not be happening as fast as we would like, but progress is being made.
There’s a great song by Mac Davis called Stop and Smell the Roses:
You got to stop and smell the roses
You've got to count your many blessings everyday
You're gonna find your way to heaven is a rough and rocky road
If you don't stop and smell the roses along the way
This is advice worth following, wouldn’t you say?