Entitlement

Entitlement – The fact of having a right to something (Oxford Languages via Google) 

Entitlement is a word often reserved for those who have done us wrong and is used negatively. It is commonly associated with those who are selfish and inconsiderate. It is not a title that anyone wants to be labeled with. 

Those who consider themselves ahead of the curve and wise, often say that no one owes you anything and slap the shameful tag of entitlement on whoever dares demand or expect anything from anyone. If you expect nothing, then you will not be disappointed they say. This is a defense mechanism to protect oneself against disappointment and heartbreak. The world is a rough place and I place no blame on someone for wanting to prevent pain and protect themselves. What I will not accept though, is the notion that no one owes you anything. That is not how communities work. That is not how humans have survived for thousands of years and that is not how healthy interpersonal relationships are built. 

Strangers owe you decency and courtesy. They owe you the decency to not walk shoulder to shoulder with their friends in small passages, and they owe you the courtesy to respectfully ask you to make way for them if you are the one impeding them. Loved ones owe you reciprocation, thoughtfulness, and kindness. Those who you support in times of need are expected to do the same when you are in need. Support is not only monetary, and times of need are not only debt or death. The social contracts of friendship, romantic relations, and familial relations come with certain expectations and failure to meet them is a breach of the social contract. 

They say family is everything and that means your family needs to make sure that they are everything to you, and vice versa. Family cannot be everything if they provide nothing. You are entitled to the very best that your parents can provide you. They did bring you into this world without your consent after all. It is the responsibility of those you consider friends and who consider you as a friend to be there for you. You are entitled to feel loved by the person who claims to love you and they must love you in the manner that you receive love. 

The social contract that makes societies, friendships, families, and relationships work all come with certain expectations from the participants, and if you are not in agreement with that contract; feel free to go where you can live as you wish without bringing discord and mayhem to others. No one likes a party pooper. 


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