By Nimroth Gwetsa, 26 January 2015
(Pictures respectively from www.iol.co.za and www.enca.com, last accessed 26/ 01/ 2015)
This article is not an attempt to remix Roberta Flack’s Grammy Hall of Fame inducted rendition of Killing Me Softly. Hers is a Goldie Oldie. Different adaptations of her song earned many an artist, top dollar. Almost all versions of the song topped the charts everywhere they were played.
The feeling of entitlement, like Charles Fox’s composition of Flack’s song, also has its chart topping effect. Unlike Flack’s, entitlement mentality is a sure way of earning higher levels of impoverishment. This bold conclusion is based on my unscientific observation. Inequality and impoverishment is the outcome caused by different factors. This article is mainly concerned about the effect entitlement mentality could have in rising levels of impoverishment.
Some South Africans have fallen victim to this feeling. Considering comments people make in the media, it would not be unthinkable to reach this conclusion. If the media was a city, you would believe people living there were under siege and looking for a scapegoat for their malaise.
If biblical literature about Adam being first human-being created is true, we are all useless compared to him. The man took up the challenge and named all creatures, features and plants of the earth alone. He did not throw a fit when he found Garden of Eden left unmanaged. He never cursed not having a partner when all other creatures around him had their counterparts.
Why does it look as if society today is made of lazybones eager to blame the system, technology, civilization or other external things for every wrong that occurs?
To illustrate the point, take the Eskom power crisis afflicting South Africa at the moment. Justifiably so, few could tolerate the incompetence of officials earning big bucks yet failing to do their duties. But why do people and businesses feel helpless when there is power failure? Survival of the fittest is the widespread theory explaining the resilience and existence of many creatures today. Unless we understand the meaning of fittest, why did the lethargic tortoise make it? Shouldn’t the phrase be revised to refer to Survival of the wisest? It takes the wisest to adapt to changing conditions and thrive afterwards.
Show me an impoverished wise person, and I will show you pigs flying. It would be difficult to find a knowledgeable person who has acted on that knowledge in good-faith being impoverished. If you do know such a person, please drop us a note.
We face many challenges in South Africa around service delivery and governance. Those in charge need to deliver so citizens could derive value from their taxes.
Nevertheless, in South Africa, some rich and poor people alike seem to expect something done for them without doing anything. We live in the age of Rights. “I have a right to this and that, so give me my entitlements”. Even if we do have rights, we would mainly earn the outcome of the actions we sowed. We may gloat over the bill of rights, but those rights won’t buy us groceries. Only knowledge combined with positive actions produce desired results.
Animals even know about the law of wisdom though mankind is supposed to be topping the food chain and wisdom chart. A lion may claim its right as king of the jungle. That title won’t put a buck in its mouth! To fill its belly, it knows that it has to guard its territory, go hunting and anything with blood and moving around in its territory is game.
Why with humans, do we see some reluctant to take charge of their lives to get desired results, but expect someone, or system, or some power somewhere to do something for them to progress? We could do with some favour in our lives. Won’t we achieve better results if we were to assume the worst that no such favours would come and get going as if we were alone? Any help that comes would be a welcomed bonus.
Entitlement mentality is baffling. Workers expect employers to understand their situation and accommodate them without exerting any extra effort. They do not want to understand the employer’s predicament and come to the party. On the one hand, we have government ministers who feel entitled to disregard laws of the country, especially those about ordinary use of roads. They weave through traffic in their blue lights as if their lives depend on such actions.
On the other hand, there are companies who seem to expect only good things to happen so they could continue earning revenue. An environment has to be created for business to thrive. Any business waiting for better conditions to prevail for its success is from Cloud Cuckoo Land.
Business thrives on chaos and entrepreneurs emerge from such environments. Problems result in solutions entrepreneurs provide.
I am not condoning chaos. If I could be in a country where everything works normally and people respect one another, I would have emigrated there in a jiffy. Without invoking spirituality into this, heaven seems the only place everything is ideal. Here on terra firma, hellish experiences rule supreme! Dog eats dog. Man cheats like hell. Corners are cut everywhere. Backs are stabbed and corrupt palms expect to be greased. In all this chaos, goodness still prevails for the resilient, creative and those grounded on good values.
Life is not that gloomy. It would do us good to operate our businesses and conduct our lives as if those were prevailing conditions.
If all businesses and employees were to operate with those assumptions, surely we would be more productive. We would probably be as close to productivity as Adam was in living alone surrounded by more vicious beasts than we find today. Human tragedies often inspire us to improve on past mistakes. We need to start implementing personal changes and take responsibility for own actions despite those taken by our neighbours.
When we start seeing a growing pool of people refusing to go with the mob psyche of entitlement but taking personal responsibility, we would begin to live. Our lives would even be better when we become more patient and revert to adopting personal principles of honest dealings in all our activities.
Central to the feeling of entitlement could be our nature to avoid taking responsibility for our actions and our failures. We do not want to face the consequence of some decisions we made. Naturally, it is easier for us to apportion blame elsewhere for the wrongs and to take personal credit for good outcomes. At the root of all failures, just as it is the case in successes, is the need for us to take the responsibility for those outcomes.
What would you do if you were the only person alive on this earth? Would choosing death be the best decision to avoid picking up the pieces alone? Ultimately, personal choices we make matter. Any external help we gain beyond our efforts is and should be regarded as a bonus.
As far as I know, no one is entitled to a bonus. Otherwise it would not be called a bonus. Bonus is discretionary and symbolises grace. We have to do our best to act like the first Adam and work harder to help ourselves despite prevailing conditions. Like in Adam’s case, help and goodness is around us.
To reverse entitlement mentality, we need to start acquiring different knowledge and act on it. Renewal of the mind from entitlement to personal mastery is the beginning of wealth creation. It moves us from operating in survival mode to being conquerors. Unlike Adam, we are not alone and no man today is an island. We need to advance humanity. Sometimes the small discoveries we make today may not add much value to life in this era, but the next generation. The Einstein’s, Boyle’s, Newton’s, Marie Curie’s and others of former life were probably ridiculed for their theories. Many generations later, we enjoy flights, use of cellular telephones and many other inventions based on their theories and discoveries.
In that light, who is to say your silly idea is worthless? You may be the spark that would ignite the welfare of many future generations, yet not enjoy material benefits in your lifetime. Knowing what other legends before us accomplished and how we are helped today by their efforts, we should be encouraged to press on with our responsibilities despite negative criticism. If eternity is life we would all live after this earthly life, then the persistent and the resolute would have the last laugh seeing the difference their work made to mankind.
We aspire to have nice things in life and rewards for our ingenuity. This is normal. We should be careful to check if this feeling is not exacerbated by our unmanaged desire for flashier ways of life. Wealth is liberating and money enables us to make choices in life. Congratulations to you if you do have lots of money. Then, be a good steward. Look after it and find ways of doing more good with it.
We should strive to be future generation oriented even if we do not know if that generation would use our inventions. Although we should try harder to earn rewards in our lifetime, we should not force it to the extent of negatively affecting our health and lives. We should avoid wanting to see instant results. Tata Nelson Mandela did not set out to pursue riches but better life not only for him but for others also. We heard about the modest value of his estate when his Will was read. Despite his modest assets, the man achieved greatness millions of future generations the world over would continue benefitting from.
Personal mastery and rejection of entitlement feeling is what life is about. Life is not only for us to be like animals consuming all the good of the earth and having fun. It also entails joyfully living a life where we each build on a foundation of creating long lasting structures benefitting future generations.
Despite differences in our academic, social and economic standing, we could leave a lasting legacy. Anyone available and willing to act on what they know could create that legacy. Not everyone can invent things. However, by observing successful people, we find they started by being concerned and creating an opportunity to resolve those concerns.
Legacy cannot be created when there is no concern for anything. Concern alone is insufficient if there is no opportunity to do anything about it. Concern and opportunity would mean nothing unless there is wisdom. Opportunities to make a difference are available everywhere. Opportunities are about availing our capacity and ability to act.
We can make a difference. We should expand our view of life and act on opportunities around us. Such actions liberate us and impact lives around us.
Let one of our New Year resolutions include looking within us and resolving to act as if we were alone, yet derive courage and support from those around us.
Away with the spirit of entitlement! Away!