Sometimes Knowing You're Right Has To Be Enough

Recently I've been faced with a situation my daughter frequently cmplains about.It's learning to deal with injustice. This quote says it best for me.:"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" Martin Luther King, Jr. I can tell you that practicing what you preach is sometimes the greatest challenge. There are times in life when injustice is thrown our way. It's at these times we're presented with a choice. That choice being swallowing the poison and hope the other person dies or something that involves a little more character. It's easy to be understanding and gracious when you're winning. It becomes slightly more difficult when you're losing. Bring injustice or unfairness into the equation and now you have a true test of character. Now it's not so easy to be cavalier. I've been placed in a situation where this has occured. The team I play with won fair and square, yet because someone else had access to the records that quickly changed to a loss. This person has tried numerous ways to cheat their way to a victory. I have been letting it twist my sense of fair play and justice into a full fledge "cause" of some kind. I've lost sight of why I actually participate in this sport.By letting her get to me, I'm lowering myself to her level and giving her way more power and attention than she deserves. I often remind Ammba that no one can make you mad, it's you that allows them to . This sounds wise and mature when I'm saying it. Now that I'm having a taste of it myself it's a little less palatable. I keep reverting back to the "How could this be happening to me?" attitude. The truth of the matter it's small potatoes in the larger scheme of things. Why not me? is probably a more accurate perspective. Things like "it's not winning that's important to me. It's the principle of the thing."come flooding out of my mouth. I am no different from anyone else. I like to win too, but at what cost? Acceptance is a daily lesson that teaches us what is. Not what we think it should be or what we want, but what actually is. I had a 9th grade math teacher who all the kids picked on and made fun of. His name was Mr Langer. Whenever he turned his back to the class someone would throw something at him or dirupt the class. In fact he had chalk marks on his back from all the erasures that were thrown at him.This went on for the 1rst half of the year. The 2nd half he devised a clever way to prevent from being targeted. He learned to write backwards on the blackboard. He had this metal chalk holder and would hold it over his right shoulder and write while facing the classroom. He didn't blame or complain, he went about the best way he knew to get what he wanted, which was to teach us math. His passion was contagious to a few of us. We started trying and even learning. I got really frustrated one day after raising my hand over and over and not being called on. I pouted and withdrew determined not to try anymore because of how unfair I was being treated. After class he came and sat down beside me and said eleven simple words that changed my life. He said " Jody, I know you're upset I didn't call on you. I wanted to get some of the other kids interested as well." I replied 'You never called on me, I raised my hand just like everyone else and you ignored me. Maybe I should start throwing stuff at you." He smiled and said "Sometimes it has to be enough to know that you know" I started to argue , then stopped. I was confused, somehow the rules just changed. I wasn't sure how , but they changed. I nodded lowered my head and said I'll see you tomorrow. He asked "Are you O.K.?" I shrugged and mumbled "Yeah, it's just a little more grown up than I planned on being today. Plus I got nothing to bitch about now" He nodded knowingly. I left thinking to myself. This goofy old guy is a pretty brave dude. I 've been trying to live up to this ideal ever since. It's only been 34 years. What's the hurry anyway? Submitted for your approval. Jody