I have not posted in some time as
I was working on a different writing project but once again I have found
inspiration...
Entitlement: Type the word into
Google images search engine and you will find a whole lot of funny quotes and
images about entitlement. How is it that
so many people have an unrealistic sense of what is fair or what they
deserve? Is there a greater conspiracy
here or do so many people really think that they are "The Shizzle"?
Just this week I had a member of
staff asking me to pay for a taxi for her to get to work because she sprained
her ankle tramping over the weekend and so she was not able to walk to work as
she normally does. My first instinct is
to always be of assistance but upon reflection and further discussion I have to
admit that this is an unreasonable request.
Imagine for a moment if every workplace was responsible for paying for
staff to get to work when they injured themselves outside of the workplace.
When I explained that it was not the university's responsibility to get her to
work, within her normal hours she replied that it would be our responsibility
if she called in sick and we had to find someone to teach her class. This is
fair enough and also true enough, however I counter (in my head because it is
not my argument to make) that normally one would not take sick leave for a
twisted ankle, would you?
This made me think of other
people who I believe have an unusual sense of self-importance...
My teenage daughters', for
example, who seem to think that we should always purchase/pay for what they
want, when they want it. Or, that we are
put on this earth to cook, clean and taxi them around whenever they require
it. I reluctantly admit that I am
probably a bit guilty of enabling them in this belief, because I want to
provide for them and I also want them to be able to rely on me but, have I
created monsters who will go through life thinking the world owes them? No, I don't really believe so. They are fundamentally really good kids and
they give me such joy and a huge sense of pride - well, mostly anyway. I also think that I let them get away with
doing very little around the house because I know that eventually (all too
soon) they will have to be adults and take care of themselves.
Okay, yes, I digress, back to the
topic:
I know someone who has used money
that was supposed to be a loan and has never repaid it, a rather large sum, which
he claims he is unable to repay. This same individual takes an overseas trip
every year; drives a nice car; has a band new home in a country estate,
complete with a cinema; takes his kids on extravagant holidays; etc. The persons who lent him the money (which was
pretty much all they had) now live on a state benefit in comparable poverty and
seldom see or hear from him. He does not
seem to think that he has done anything wrong, which baffles me
completely.
It is worth noting here that the
lenders have not taken any action against him.
Which means that he has no pressure to take any responsibility for his
actions.
Why is it that some people have
no conscience while others dutifully pay their own way, not taking or expecting
handouts? Is entitlement something that
your parents raise you to have or lack or is this an internal moral compass
setting - more nature than nurture? What makes one person think that he/she is
due more than another person or conversely, what makes others believe that they
are due/deserve nothing at all. Is there
a way to strike a balance? I don't know,
but I sure hope so.
I have a pretty good sense of
right and wrong, this doesn't make me perfect - not by a long shot. But I try to be a just and good person. I do my best to pay it forward when I can and
help my fellow man, if I can.
All the world's a stage and we
are merely players. Do you mean to play
a villain or a hero?
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