Let’s start with the definition of “Entitlement”!
At Dictionary.com – entitlement: the fact of having a right to something.
This is not the entitlement definition we often came across and have emotional debates if the word fact is absolute “FACT”.
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as absolute “FACT” in life; it is all relative – even death is not an absolute “FACT” across the entire spectrum of humanity.
The definition of entitlement I will be discussing with you in this article is – the expectation to have a right to something in life, tangible or non-tangible, without yet invested the proper amount of one own personal time and resource to earn it.
Every single one of us started out life with a prepackaged entitlement to be delivered and executed by our parents. In most cases – they are or will successfully complete the mission.
The shipment of the prepackaged entitlement was so special – many of us will have hard time outgrow this free and unconditional benefit.
In this article, we will exam many common entitlements we have entitled or witness it from an observer point a view.
Entitlement is rooted deep within ourselves, but its derivation is manifested in a relationship – below is the spectrum of relationship you and I will have the opportunity to experience within our lifetime.
Every single one of us has a relationship with our “selves”, and within this intimate and personal relationship there is an entitlement lurks below. We have an intimate desire to have a life which we have not earned it – this is why we will chase it to last moment of our existence.
This one entitlement is justifiable by anyone since its requirement is clear and non-substitutable – a personal lifetime of exploration.
I belonged to the Generation X and the Gen X as a whole is facing a financial entitlement burden from their aging parents and their own children.
After World War II ended, baby boomers returned to the rising economic giant in the United States. While the entire world started from the ash of war, we begin the economic expansion from an intact economic structure barely touched from the destruction of war.
The first credit card was issued in 1950. It was the beginning of living life in prosperity for all Americans.
Slowly and surely, the spending now and pay later – a behavior mostly seen with the very poor segment of the population – was spreading like wild fire across the general population.
Coupled with the invention of the credit card and the flood of cheap imports from China, consumerism took root in 99% of American households – baby boomers, Gen X and Gen Y were facing a financial foe with the winner takes all mentality.
As the Gen X looked ahead toward their retirement finish line, their parents are crying for help with little in saving for 30 to 40 years of retirement.
It may be arguable that when parents solicited financial help from their kids, it is not an entitlement – but, it is more like a repayment for the early years of life in comfort under their cares.
Absolutely, this is a fair deal from the two generations. However, the economic burden for the new generation is not the same as the previous generation.
When the Gen X lived under their parent households, the economics of cost were shared across board – housing, utilities and foods were minimally incremented.
My parents and any parents had to pay for housing, utilities and foods regardless if I had ever showed up in their lives – give and take; it was a fixed cost for them.
Now that I am living in a separate household structure than my parents, the expectation for me to pay their housing, utilities and foods in a different household is basically doubled all my expenses – a clear entitlement.
It is an entitlement because they are living a life they did not plan and/or had earned and have the expectation for someone else pay for it – their children in this particular example.
The Gen Y or the millennial are facing the same financial difficulty as their grandparents in retirement because they were sharing the same economic prosperity that led to similar high consumption lifestyles.
In reality, the financial mindset for the Gen Y, the Millennial, is worse in comparison to the baby boomers. Prior to the World War II, the majority of baby boomers were raised by the generation that had experienced the great depression – they were raised by the financial conservative parents.
The Gen Y were raised by the Gen X whose financial habits were conditioned by the same prosperity and spending spree that started with the baby boomers generation.
As of the first quarter of the 21st century, approximately about 20 to 25 percents of the millennial, Gen Y, still live at home with their parents for financial support – a clear financial entitlement unprecedented in comparison to the past generations.
What about marriages – is there financial entitlement between married couples?
Absolutely!
The majority of failed marriages started with financial related issue. It all began with one spouse felt the other did not pull his/her fair share of the financial burden – the situation got worse in cases where one spouse is a home maker or one spouse’s income dwarfed the salary of the other.
Personally, I knew a friend who is highly successful – financially. Yet for many years now, he felt that his wife, who is a stayed home mother, is getting more for what she has been contributing into the marriage.
It is very unfortunate that internally, he felt that way – since outwardly he has to keep peace within the marriage to prevent it from deterioration to the point of no return.
What about work place – is there financial entitlement between workers and business entities?
Absolutely!
If you are a business owner, how often you come across an employee who believes that his/her contribution to your business is greater in comparison to his/her financial compensation?
In a free and capitalistic economy, the mismatch in contribution and compensation will revert to equilibrium when the under-compensated employee finds a new employer who values his/her contribution with the appropriate salary.
In all cases of entitlements across all societies and around the globe, the majority are financial related. This should not be a mystery since we are much more biological, animalistic in nature, than we are capable perceived in ourselves – we need money to survive in this world.
The other sizable entitlements bucket is – time entitlement.
This type of entitlement is often played out in family, “bestie” relationships – and often displayed signs of possessiveness.
In the time entitlement relationship, one side demands so much unreasonable time with the other side – the result often leads to the suffocation of the relationship.
Regardless of the type of entitlement, financial or time or any others, entitlement chips away the strength of any relationship – in time the bond will be broken.
The most promising solution to entitlement is open and honest communication. It may not solve the issue right away, but in time and with heart to heart dialogs – many of us will come to term with the true weight of entitlement.
Once the conversation about entitlement has started, the works required to earn the relationship can begin – only now, the fact of having a right to something is realized.
Every single one of us started out life as an entitled animal. Very few of us ever outgrow this seemingly privilege – those who do will have an opportunity to lead an amazing life.
Let’s play the game of life!
