Dear Solomon, what’s wrong with an attitude of entitlement?

Our culture has dramatically shifted away from earning your own way to one of entitlement — one of expecting to receive all that our heart desires without expending any effort.

Consider all of the ads from the last several decades that dominate your preferred choice of screen you spend a good chunk of your time with each day, or what you hear on the radio or read about in magazines or even roadside billboards. If you pay attention, most of them appeal to this selfish desire of getting everything you want without putting out much effort.

You will hear phrases spoken or implied along the lines of, “You deserve it” or “It’s your life” or “You’re worth it” or “No rules,” etc. Promises abound with easy payments, no strings attached and my favorite, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” which essentially promises you that you can leave your good morals behind and disregard civilized behavior while you are visiting, and it’s all OK because they won’t tell.

The bottom line in our “have it your way” society is that we are duped into thinking that we can get something for nothing, which is a fantasy at the highest level.

Solomon had some solid truth for any who would stray into this kind of mindset, “Where there is no livestock, the barn remains clean, but one can profit much from the strength of an ox.”

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