Ethnically Speaking by Larry Meeks

Dear Larry: I am so angry I don't know what to do, so I am writing you to let off some steam.

My sorority, which is primarily black, gives scholarships to some children of our sisterhood. The children have to achieve grade-point averages of 3.0 or higher in high school. My child's GPA is 2.95.

My child is not a naturally gifted student, but he makes up for his deficiency by being willing to work extremely hard to achieve. Because I am a college graduate and know the value of education, I work every night with my child so he can do his best. He never goes to bed unless his homework is finished. He has missed playing ball and going out with his friends because his schoolwork is his priority.

My sorority has planned a big gala to give out these scholarships as tokens of encouragement. I told my sisters that my son should be eligible because their gift would go a long way toward encouraging my son to keep working. I also added that his GPA could not be any closer to a 3.0.

My sisters flatly refused my request. They said it would not be fair to the students who did meet the minimum standards. They also added that it would diminish the value of the scholarships if they lowered the standards to meet my son.

I disagree because the point of the scholarships is to encourage students. Giving a scholarship to my son would encourage him, and it would not take away from the other students. Despite my statements, they would not budge.

I am so angry I am about to resign from the sorority because I think they are not being fair to my son.

Dear Lynn: No, I don't. I agree with your sisters.

I am sorry your son did not meet the minimum qualifications, but you and he have learned a valuable lesson: Life is not fair. Every human is different and blessed with different abilities and talents. Therefore, different people have to work at different rates in order to achieve the same goal. For example, one person may study for only a few minutes, while another may be forced to study many hours to achieve the same test score. It is not fair that some people have higher IQs or are born in families with money, but that is life.

I believe almost everyone can achieve high levels in life by utilizing goals. Setting high achievable goals is very important. Goals are tools that push people to accomplish things that many would think are impossible. This country had a man walk on the moon because a president set a high achievable goal for the nation.

It is wrong to lower a standard simply because a person may feel bad or because he may not have the same ability. It is best to keep the standards elevated so people will reach as high as possible. I believe they also will feel better about themselves in the end.

I know the modern thinking is everyone should be equal, but this never will happen. We all should have equal opportunity, but outcomes will be different because we all have different abilities.

To find out more about Larry G. Meeks and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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