Friday, August 19, 2011
episode: -> LOVE in the age of entitlement. <-
"We live in a world where people expect a prize just for showing up. You don't win at sports day you get a medal anyway, you don't get the grades - your parents argue that your teacher is picking on you or that the test wasn’t marked properly, you get rejected for the X-Factor and clearly it's because people can't appreciate your talent (despite you not being able to sing a note). Everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame, the dream house, and hot partner – quickly and without having to work overly hard for it, everyone's looking for that external validation. Girls change their FaceBook photo daily seeking that external validation, and boys beg, borrow and steal to make sure they have the latest Kicks. Never has there been a greater a need for that constant stimulation, constant validation and the need for people to recognise someone’s greatness – just for being them.
Instead of parents and people around turning their backs and expressing disgust when confronted with self-centred and arrogant behaviour, it is applauded – even badged as self-belief. People have started to get used to spending so long protecting themselves from the outside world – hiding their true selves, manipulating people into doing things to suit themselves, and not letting themselves in it, becomes near impossible to understand how to move from an attitude of "me, me, me" to thinking about to "us, us, us".
With a sense of entitlement comes a range of unattractive qualities ranging from a complete lack of empathy, their sense of self-importance, self-centred and self-focused, and keen and willing to cheat whenever they think they can get away with it.
Now, thinking about some of the qualities required to maintain a relationship are shared values, empathy, communication, honesty, commitment, trust, sincerity, understanding, patience and the ability to see another person’s point of view. Where does this deserving attitude fit in and what's the impact. So with people who are never told that they need to work on those things, work on their faults - because they have no faults and constantly seeking that sense of other? What does it mean for love?
I think that many of us want things to come instantaneously – be it wealth, success, and even a relationship and love. The funny thing is, as with most things in life, you don't get a relationship just because you show up. That means accepting responsibility when things go wrong, thinking further than just how things will affect you, and really, really thinking further than just yourself. When we start moving from being completely insular to actually working hard for something, then you can really achieve things.
Relationships require work - it's like they used to say it in Fame: "It costs". Relationships, real relationships, that are meaningful and that last, COST. And if you want one, if you really, really want one - it's time to start paying.
Keep Going!"
CHANGE, comes from within self.
i want to change - change for the better, change for self-improvement, change for myself, and change for the future.
I want to embrace CHANGE.
Read the original article
HERE.
~ Beautiful Season ~