We live in an extremely self-entitled society. Now, more than ever, selflessness and generosity are scarce in occurrence, while greed and righteousness continue to rise in popularity.
I’m not certain that there’s a distinct reason as to why self-entitlement is on the rise in the world we live in, but I’m not a fan, personally, as I imagine most of us aren’t.
I do think it’s reasonable to speculate, though, that a potential contributor to the issue of entitlement is entitlement itself.
Makes perfect sense, I know.
Hear me out, though. In most cases, when someone has their tires a little too inflated, it’s because they’ve become so self-involved that see no reason to contemplate their selfishness. They believe themselves to be superior to others, and this attitude has stemmed from exposure and interaction with exterior superiority. Perhaps this attitude is supported and perpetuated by active members of their lives, allowing them to perceive their behaviour as common or ‘normal.’ This attitude came from somewhere, and understanding the root of the cause is key in breaking the cycle of entitlement.
Changing tense here, perhaps another contributor to this issue are the ways in which we rely and depend on technology for its convenience. We give our cellphones orders and commands to carry out basic functions, as an example, and over time, we become comfortable with being orderly and selfish. We arguably don’t recognize this behavioural change, therefore it becomes normalized and automatic.
Think about it. We get lazy with manners and stop using them as often over time. We’re impatient and demanding. We believe we’re more important than others and place our own needs above theirs.
Why has this become more prevalent in recent years? It’s worth contemplating.
These are my own thoughts, and they may not reflect your own on the topic at hand. But, if you do disagree and don’t find our privileged mindset to be a tad concerning, I ask you: what will break the cycle when upcoming generations see how we’re behaving and mimic our behaviour?
ontheedgeofeverything 