The problem of entitlement …
… I am in the middle of a house-move right now, with its accompanying challenges and stresses. Yesterday evening, I received some news that looks like delaying my move a couple of weeks, which is bad timing for me. I was immediately consumed with anger, and ranted at length about it.
Looking back on my rant yesterday, in the cold, fresh, light of a new day, I realise how much like a spoilt child I can still be sometimes, when I don’t get my own way.
There’s nothing inherently wrong about my having to wait an extra two weeks or so to do a move – it’s hardly the end of the world, and yet I was so angry about it for a couple of hours that I could barely think about anything else, even when in conversation with someone else about something quite different.
It made me think again, about how easy it is for me (and others) to act as if the world should go along with what we want, and how badly I can react to things not going my way.
It’s all part of the problem of entitlement, isn’t it?
I should be lucky to have a home to live in, and to have all the other things and people I have in my life, but instead of being grateful for that, I slip right back into spoilt child ranting because I can’t get my way.
Physician, heal thyself.
What a wonderful reminder to all of us! This goes for delayed planes, internet glitches, and a list a mile long. Great blog entry. Thank you for centering me with your words.
… or perhaps you could just say it’s a natural reaction when frustrating circumstances come up and stop beating yourself up about it.
Would it be possible to take the thought and move it in another direction?
What about all the times we feel we are entitled to have something better than other people? because of who we are – all of those identity characteristics that we have that makes us so wonderfully unique?
How many of us wish to work in a respectful way in regards to diversity and inclusion? and find ourselves getting mad in our everyday life with the check-out clerk in the supermarket who isn’t quick enough for us? or the bloke in the queue ahead of us, who obviously has nothing more important to do, NOT like us.
A sense of entitlement doesn’t just make us intolerant of “things” but of other people. Aren’t other people entitled to be different from me?
Hi Aboodi…great to have you back writing stuff. It made me realise how much I enjoyed your thoughtful commentary..Thank you! As they say in Gaelic “go raibh maith agat” (which is thank you…but which literally means “may you have good”…which I like!)
[...] society has become. Society is all about ME, NOW. What my friend Aboodi Shabi calls “The problem of Entitlement”. We feel we are entitled to whatever we want, immediately. That goes for organisations too. [...]