Emily asked, "Why are we afraid to tell students that the world is not fair?"

This is an excellent question worthy of discussion, and I can only begin to scratch the surface here, but I shall do my best to present some reasons for why we do this.

The primary reason for not telling students that the world is unfair, at least at lower levels, is to preserve in them some element of idealism. Why would we do this? Frankly, it's vital to keep idealism alive because without it, we have no hope of ever moving forward. We must first envision a better world, an ideal world, so that we may take practical steps to move towards a more equitable world.

There is no doubt that the world, as it is, is inherently unfair. Some are given far more opportunities than others. But this does not always have to be the case. We have the potential to make a fairer, more equitable world (not perfectly fair, as there are always elements outside of our control), but we need to have the drive to do so. We need to believe that we can make the world better, need that drive to improve our lots in life, or we are doomed to slavery and oppression. To deny even that seed of hope to our next generation is a disservice to our species, our society, and ourselves.

To end with a question: Is it more important to present the world as it is, or the world as it could be?