Entitlement. It comes as a result of the way we are conditioned in a capitalistic, democratic society. Work hard, you deserve rewards. Don’t get them, it is your right to complain. Not heard? It’s your duty to revolt. But here’s a novel idea – What about working hard because the content of your character is such that doing any less offsets the balance of personal growth and progress?
Say what? Am I encouraging that we should work hard for the sheer enjoyment of breaking a sweat and breaking our backs? Well, yes and no. What I am really trying to illustrate is the power of mental change and activity. If energy transfers as a physical product of movement or concentrated effort, then it seems feasible that it can also be channeled. That’s not rocket science, it’s simple physics. Let me try to explain in elementary terms.
Have you ever been inspired by someone or something based on your admiration of their character, their story or the demonstration of their belief system? Did you find that inspiration motivating enough to take action? If so, then you have experienced the positive energy transfer described earlier. I truly believe that human beings have to be conscious of and continuously nurture some very basic elements necessary to building a quality of life as described in Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs. I would also like to add one of my own: Inspiration.
For more than half a century we have been slowly cheating ourselves out of a genuine level of inspiration. Instead, we have created artificial examples as a form of entertainment rather than a source of natural motivation. Think about it. We all enjoy a great movie, television show or book but the most popular tend to be fiction. Evident in our environment is that we do not wish to be reminded of how mundane existence has become and it is within that complacency that we are left unmotivated, inadequate and to some extent – hopeless. This is tragic.
The default consequence of this type of bland exposure is entitlement and that type of mindset creates a routine existence that is even sadder than being meaningless. If we were all slugs, perhaps it would seem okay. Alas, we are zombies and we need brains to eat. More than that, our attitude about becoming the living dead is also warped. We believe that zombies should be entitled to brains...to EAT, of course. It’s justified and we typically accept that. What about the fact that nobody wants to have their brains chomped by zombies? Oh yeah, you probably meant somebody else right? Wake-up people!
If you’re not already one of them, then you’re the primary food source. Look in the mirror – lunch is served.
