Bob Marley said, “The problem today is people don’t cherish good people, they try to use them.”
This summarizes how some people think in recent times and this is seen among the young people and also among adults. They have become more entitled and most times are aggressive. It is a generation that believes that they are entitled to what they get.
A study discovered that, “Individuals with a higher sense of entitlement – are more likely to believe they deserve preferences and resources that others don’t and that they are less concerned about what is socially acceptable or beneficial.”
One evening, a girl sent me a message on social media. It was her first message without properly introducing herself. She asked me to give her money. I asked her who she was. She explained how she knew me and insisted she needed that money urgently. I told her I will consider her request. I actually do not remember who she was. Two hours later, she became vulgar and asked why wouldn’t I give her the money? I asked her if she made me her account officer. At that point, I decided not to yield to her request. Few days later, she came back cursing at me.
A woman who felt she was doing her employer a favour by taking up a job got herself to be fired. She came back to ask her former colleagues for money for her upkeep.
A young boy I once assisted thought that because of that privilege, I should also take up the upkeep of his family.
A young man beat up a lecturer because he believed that the lecturer should yield to his demands.
Stories like these occur these days. People want to take advantage of other people or situations while capitalizing on how it is fair or not. Fair, a concept they use to play on the emotions of other people to get what they want and justify their actions.
Being entitled has become a go-to for many people who think that their problem is more genuine than of those they are taking from.
It happens among family members, associates and friends who would utilize the bond of family and friendship to emotionally manipulate people to get what they want.
It is not bad to assist people in times of distress. Charity is a very noble act of kindness and has reward and blessing from God. Givers never lack and when we seek, we shall find. These are powerful teachings that set a person aside as possessing a good value.
Being entitled is becoming a normal practice in the society and it is also different from acts of charity.
There are many professional beggars who would concoct any story to get people emotionally drawn to them. They are in the churches, parks, streets, markets, neighbourhood and social media.
Most of these entitled people do not care if their victim is doing well; all they care about is that their problems are more important. They are calculative, manipulative, sinister and cunning in their approach and sometimes, once they are sorted out, they would return because in their mind, they have secured a channel they can manipulate.
There are people who are genuinely in need of assistance but these lots who have become entitled thinking that it is their right to gain empathy and assistance and therefore cannot be refused. In their belief, once they bring themselves to ask for help, they must receive or they become abusive and deadly. Getting assisted to solve one’s problem is not a right but a privilege.
As people have become more entitled, they are at the same time very lazy.
Being a public figure is one to deal with many entitled people who believe that the public resources should be used to solve their problems and the list never ends. They do not believe that the public figures and indeed many people also have their own life and problems of their own.
It is not news that there is hardship, yet, it affects most people but some people choose to live above their earning and hope to lean on others to fund their ostentatious lifestyle and cravings.
Being entitled has made some people the most ungrateful, impatient and vengeful people who even when they are given and could not get more, they become aggressive towards their giver.
Most of these people are full-fledged people without any form of deformity. They have thrown away their God-given potentials, in wait for the persons who utilized theirs and whom they will attach their problems to.
This behaviour is not only found in the young persons but also among the older people. Some people go to some extreme like sorcery to locate and retain their source for entitlement.
Regrettably, some people have leaned on this mindset and have chosen to live a life of dependency and entitlement.
The entitled behaviour in people can be altered if people do not yield to the entitled people. Do not accept, encourage, not by wanting to be liked or being lenient but setting a clear expectations that are acceptable.