Agree with most everything except your interpretation of "life isn't fair." I've always looked at that saying as a refutation of the "just world fallacy." Meaning, "Don't expect that your honesty and hard work will be justly rewarded."

You might be the top worker for 6 years in your department. You might find out a guy working for you for three years in the department makes more money than you do. When you confront your department manager and ask for a raise to reflect your respective roles, your boss might give you the excuse that the other guy has a wife and a kid. This is of course a totally hypothetical story that didn't happen to me but would reflect the "life isn't fair" concept as I understand it.