So I have a problem at work. Well, not necessarily a problem, but a frustration. There is one employee who hinted yesterday that he would really like some jam or preserves to be provided for his toast in the morning, as we already have butter. True, the company does provide basic condiments from time to time like butter, ketchup, mayo, and mustard, but beyond that, it's pretty much up to everyone else. Well, he asked yesterday, and this morning, there was no jam, jelly, or preserves available for his toast. Therefore, he griped about it under his breath while I was heating up my hot-pocket.
This is also the same person who gripes about running out of coffee and sugar, when he drinks at least a pot of coffee every day, while everyone else has one or two cups. What he can't seem to understand is that the only thing the company is required to supply is good drinking water--which we do. There is a water cooler with no fewer than four FULL bottles sitting next to it at all times. All requirements have therefore been met. If the company runs out of coffee, it is unfortunate, and will soon be rectified, but it is nothing to have a hissy fit over. If we run out of sugar (as we do every week because someone is stealing 2.5 pounds of sugar at a time), it is again unfortunate, but nothing to raise a ruckus for days over. And if the company does not provide you jam, then oh well. That is not the company's obligation.
My frustration, I think, is his sense of entitlement. Actually, I think it's the overall sense of entitlement around here. Everyone here, who works for a construction materials testing lab, feels entitled to 8-5 hours. The construction world doesn't work 8-5 so neither do we. Each feels entitled to the cush jobs that require almost nothing of you, and then complain about how much they get paid when they get them. Of course, on the flip side, every contractor feels entitled to have his job placed at top priority on the books, because we have "a contract with them." They know very well that we have a contract with all of our clients, and that we have a "24 hour notice" stipulation in every contract. If we are not notified 24 hours in advance, we are not obligated to supply them with a tech. So technically, if they have a nine a.m. pour, and they call at four p.m. the day before, we are not contractually obligated to make that job. But they're entitled to one an hour from now.
Then again, I come from an entitled generation. I blame the parents, not video games. Well, I also partly blame the internet for instant gratification, which leads to entitlement, but mostly I blame parents. Your kid is not entitled to everything. They are entitled to live free of abuse with plenty of food, and if you can't provide that for them, then they are entitled to get it from a caring foster parent. Of course, I believe that you are not entitled to take them back, but must earn them back, but I'm not in charge. Otherwise, your kids are not entitled to anything. They are not entitled to go to the best school. They are not entitled to go to college. It's unfortunate but true. By "entitling" kids to things they have no right claiming, we are robbing them of their natural talents and capabilities. God did not create us with no purpose. We all have one, but we also all have to work to fulfill them.
God also did not promise us comfort, so we are not entitled to a comfortable life. Those who promise that you will have wealth if you just follow God are lying. What God does promise, is to never leave you (Matthew 28:20). He is always watching you (Psalm 33:18). And he does promise that HIS joy, not the world's joy, will come to you (Psalm 30:4-5). THAT, beloved, is what God promises those who seek him.
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