Entitled

Understanding Your Privilege

We live in the age of entitlement, as opposed to enlightenment. - Bill Bailey: British Multi-Media Artist

These days, there's a significant focus on entitlement. It has become a lightning rod for controversy and is often politically weaponized. One person's entitlement becomes the target of another's outrage. So to what are we entitled (if anything) and who determines who gets what? These are loaded questions that have plagued mankind since records began.
 
Entitlement shapes our world for specific individuals or groups who view themselves as special. This sense of specialness fuels conquests and colonization, slavery, the creation of countries and borders, the rise and fall of empires, the destruction of the planet and multiple expressions of oppression, exploitation and inequality.
 
When we consider destructive entitlement, how do we find ourselves in an "era of entitlement"? A concept fraught with complexity, the result of divisive political posturing. Today, some see a society that expects something for nothing. Others see entitlements as a safety net to explain the harsh realities of an unequal societal machine.
 
But this is only a part of the story. More profound forces play here than spats over who gets what. The "Me Generation" was coined by the author Tom Wolfe in the 1970s. He identified a growing focus on self-absorption and radical autonomy in society, rooted in the 1960s and early 1970s counterculture movement. Self-expression became all the rage as the Boomer Generation thumbed its nose at the horrified establishment.
 
It's little wonder that the "Greatest Generation," who lived through the Great Depression and fought in World War II, known for resilience, duty, and selflessness, suddenly found an alien cultural landscape. For them, introspection and expressions of individuality scarcely existed.
 
This dramatic shift from focusing on the external world to exploring the individual's inner world changed everything. The positive result is significant if introspection is used to gain a deeper understanding of our motives and how we affect others. Since the 1970s we have become fixated on ourselves, consumed by all the tempting distractions of self-absorption. 
 
As we see ourselves at the center of the universe, we neglect our shared humanity leading to an inevitable erosion of community, the mental health crisis and the pursuit of wealth at any price. Aspects of holistic health and wellness and the New Age spirituality movements (positive developments in themselves) were co-opted by opportunists who sell the lure of the quick fix designed to appeal to our entitlement feelings. Thus the magical claims like "five easy steps to freedom," or "the seven-day wonder diet”. Similarly the notion that if you sit on your yoga mat, imagine yourself at the Oscars, it will happen to special you.
 
Today this belief in our specialness (individually and collectively) is at the heart of many troubling global and personal issues. Ironically when we perceive ourselves as special and different, we set ourselves up for a lifetime of conflict and misery. Step into your inner elegant space, reflect and assess the feelings of entitlement may have (and we all do) negatively impacted you and those around you.
 
Do you expect special treatment, crave constant validation and refuse to take responsibility for your actions, preferring to blame others or play the victim? How much do you care about others? How does your behavior impact them? Do you get hostile when criticized even if it's constructive? Do you see things in black and white? Believe rules don't apply to you? Think you have a right to be happy? Do you get jealous when others succeed or get attention? Do you brag and exaggerate? Do you feel misunderstood and attacked? Do you get defensive and even hostile?
 
When we surround ourselves with unrealistic expectations and broken relationships, we experience disappointment and unhappiness. The truth is we are entitled to no more than an orphan child searching food in the rubble. Our lives are uniquely designed for our spiritual journey and we arrive with no certainties or guarantees. Material privilege can be seductive, making it easy to take things for granted and overlook others’ suffering. Life can change in an instant; we should never take anything for granted. Instead focus on gratitude, an effective antidote to entitlement. What we have and our unique gifts are blessings that allow us to support those in need.
 
Feeling entitled blinds us to the sacred and scientific laws of our interconnectedness. As Bill Bailey puts it, "We live in the age of entitlement, as opposed to enlightenment." Never forget that entitlement signifies separation. If you seek a fulfilling and peaceful life, always check yourself when you feel entitled to something. A more peaceful and equitable world isn't possible unless it includes us all. And that would be special indeed!