I’m currently reading a book called “The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck” by Mark Manson and I'm currently on a part where he talked about entitlement and how it’s not easily seen by ourselves and that what sparks me to write all about this.

Entitlement (n.)

the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.

Source

Entitlement can really be seen everywhere, from being entitled because you achieved something that others haven’t achieved yet or you can do things other can't do, it’s pretty evident everywhere. But basically, you feel entitled because you feel like you have something that others don't have.

I used to think this way, but when I read the book that I am currently reading, I have a broader perspective about it. The book says that,

Entitlement plays out in one of two ways:

1. I’m awesome and the rest of you all suck, so I deserve special treatment. 

2. I suck and the rest of you are all awesome, so I deserve special treatment.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson

I'm awesome and the rest of you all suck, so I deserve special treatment.

These are the type of people that I really don't like, one of my pet peeves, as they say. It just really get into my nerves when people are being entitled. This is also the type of entitlement that we usually see in people and this is how I define it too and I think this is mainly self-explanatory because I know we’ve been in this loophole even just once in our lives.

Whether you feel that you have a better educational background, so you should’ve been given more attention or promotion. Whether you feel that what you do is better than anyone else and you have that billion dollar idea, so people should listen to you more, we all know we’ve been there.

There's actually a thin line between believing in yourself and being entitled. Not much of a shocker, but we usually cross that line from time to time. But I do think being aware if you’re doing it is a key point. It’s better to prevent things from happening than to solve it when it actually happened, so awareness really plays a big role here. 

And I am always thankful when I am being humbled by God, by the universe or by my friends because it helps bring myself back to the roots. That in order to fully succeed in life, one should be humble enough to know that everyone else is finite and we all have limitations. Also, being humble makes it easier for you to see the things you should be grateful for.

I suck and the rest of you are all awesome, so I deserve special treatment.

This is what really caught my attention because honestly, I’ve never seen it in this perspective before. 

Lately, we all know that mental health awareness is really stepping in and I’m really proud that more and more people are being aware that mental health problems are real and not just made up. 

But on the flipside, this also had caused some people to use mental health as a way to gain privilege and as sad it is, they feel entitled, even if most do it unconsciously. Don’t get me wrong, there are some that really needs intervention and support but there are also some that’s using it to their advantage to gain certain privileges whether in school, work or everywhere. 

Sometimes, we feel like we can never truly solve our problems and it makes us helpless and sometimes we just want the world to stop for us. But again, there is also a thin line between seeking help or using it to gain something. This is really hard to be aware of especially as this is a new concept, I don’t know about you but it is for me. 

Sometimes, I’m really pissed at how people would not be gentle or adjust for me when I had anxiety before, maybe it’s part of my anxiety or maybe I’m going overboard on what’s happening to me. As you can see, this is really hard to distinguish and the first step in knowing if you are going overboard or being entitled is to know that there is a possibility that you are. 

I just wanted to write this and hopefully make people be aware that this feeling can exist and through that when we get rid of entitlement, which I think would be impossible to do, but the best we could do is lessen it. 

I just think the moment that we become entitled, it will be difficult for us to see things that we should be grateful for.

This is one of those things that really makes me think and I’m sorry if I do write pretty randomly from time to time.

See you around! 🌤