In a recent column (www.bermansbits.com), I dropped in a personal quote along with others from some truly great names (Twain, Hayes, Carver, Reagan, Hoffer, and Badger). Quotes to me are among the ultimate literary forms because they say things so perfectly and precisely. When I was younger I used to think that if I could write like anyone, it would be John Steinbeck - he said things the way I would if I could, kind of like quotes.
Anyhow, in thinking about it and letting it percolate a bit, I realized the quote is something I truly believe in and is a quote that deserves to be shared with everyone in the world. EVERYONE! From someone on welfare to the average work-a-day person to those who inhabit the halls of the great palaces, hearing, understanding, and acting on the quote would change everything (it is that profound). No matter one's age, sex, nationality, political belief, personal credo, etc., the entire world would change for the better (except for those who don't follow it, which in turn would ultimately keep us just where we are).
The quote: “Two words that would truly make all the difference in today’s world: ‘Play fair.’” I mean, can you start to imagine what would happen if everyone simply played fair? From world leaders to businesspeople to politicians to bosses and workers, if everyone simply played fair everything would change. The search term "government fraud" brought me a quick 77 million returns. The government alone has wasted billions and billions of our dollars by not playing fair. Over the past couple of years, the word billion, which was once so hard to even speak, has been replaced by trillion, with no 'hope' or 'change' in sight.
I do have a solution: Play fair!
1 comment:
A problem with this view is how one defines "fair." Fair by what standard? Fair for whom? Fair for all? Much of life is based on zero sum. In other words, more often than not, only one party will win a particular prize or competition. When this happens, the other party loses. Is this fair to the losing party? Maybe. Maybe not. If you are on the losing side and believe you tried harder than the winner, or perhaps you don't trust the winner or the judge, you may think it wasn't fair.
Or how about this. What if you are in business to make money? If you are able to buy an item for $100 and want to sell it for $300, is that fair? Some would say it's fair if someone is willing to pay $300. Others would say it's not fair because you would make $200 of their money.
I think it boils down to the fact that most people believe their particular point of view is fair -- or they wouldn't have that point of view. Going back to my original thought, "fair" is defined differently by all parties. That's why there are courts. And even courts often have cases appealed.
As I am fond of saying, in the end, there are no easy answers, just easy questions.
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