The Folly of Entitlement

The general cry is against ingratitude, but the complaint is misplaced, it should be against vanity; none but direct villains are capable of willful ingratitude; but almost everybody is capable of thinking he hath done more that another deserves, while the other thinks he hath received less than he deserves.
- Alexander Pope

What do we deserve?

Yes, there are laws in place that entitle people to rights or property, etc. but what else are we truly entitled to?

A friend of mine works in entertainment and recently elaborated on the lavish gifts and services that are bestowed upon celebrities that he frequently works for. I discovered that the gift bags that every Oscars participant receives are worth tens of thousands of dollars. Of course, I would expect that giving away such merchandise to exceptionally public figures would serve to bolster brand exposure, thus being another facet of a companies marketing. But my friend shared that some of these celebrities become accustomed to not just occasional gift bags, but to every day life being nearly free of charge.

My friend shared that because of an elevated sense of entitlement, a few of the people he works for often decline to tip drivers, waiters or other service providers, expect complementary service at bars and restaurants, will seek free lodging throughout their various travels, will only support local manufacturers if their products are gifted, and feel that lines of any sort are beneath them. He shared more personal instances that were on the cusp of being absurd but he assured me that what might seem like an exaggeration of ones character and day to day life was actually a modest summary. In short, the concept of being grateful for all of the opportunities, experiences, luxuries and perks that have been afforded to these rather privileged individuals, is beyond their need of consideration. In their minds, this is the way their lives are supposed to be.

Thankfully he was only speaking of a handful of people.

I would be lying if I said that I have lived my life without ever feeling entitled to anything. Lets be honest, if you work hard for something and it happens to not come into fruition, it is easy to feel a sense of unjust deserve. However, reality for most of us dictates that nothing in life is free.

For what we do earn or simply receive, gratitude is a natural response because most of us have experienced what it is to be denied something we want.

With money, influence and power, entitlement may come as a byproduct, but living as though you are entitled to the life you live is a gross mistake.

We all aspire to live well and happily, but to forgo being grateful is doing yourself and the world a disservice and as you have received, it can all be taken away.