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At the deathbed of a wealthy elder, he instructed a senior from his tribe to distribute his inheritance to his two sons. “If the inheritance is not fairly distributed, both brothers would surely have much to say,” the senior thought to himself.
To ensure a fair distribution, the senior came up with a plan – to split everything into two portions. The table was sawed into two, bowls and plates were broken into two, clothes were cut into two… Every single item was divided into two to represent fairness.
But think about it, in order to achieve the supposed absolute fairness, it resulted in a major loss to both parties. Is that the fairness we want to achieve? It seems more like an unwise attempt! No matter how much humans pursue, more often than not, people would still feel inadequate.
It is a challenging quest to seek total equality and superiority in this world.
Innately, people have unique perceptions. Hence when asked to evaluate an item, they can all place a different value on it. So, what exactly is fair, and what is unfair? It is extremely hard to determine. Everything can be perceived as fair if we are contented though. With contentment, one will feel adequate. Buddhism practice is about making the conscious effort to remain at peace and understand the principles. If one can comprehend this, one will then see that there is nothing much to fight about.
Translated by Goh Hui Jie
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