OK… so I know I’m supposed to treat these ones differently. They’ve never received anything but continually positive feedback, and their Mum’s and Dad’s loved them so much, they got a cake and a parade every time they didn’t wet the bed.
Unfortunately, some one has to break the news to the more entitled of this generation that:
Life is Just Not Fair.
If you are living and working in a society of more than one, sooner or later someone who is not as smart as you, not as hardworking as you, and maybe not even as good looking as you, is going to get something that you feel entitled to. It’s horribly unfair.
It’s called “life”.
Prince Charles got himself into trouble a few years ago because he suggested that maybe it wasn’t the best idea to tell everyone they could do or be anything they wanted to. On the surface, it is highly offensive to have a guy that was born into fame and riches lecturing people to accept their lot in life and make the best of it. On reflection however, he is the perfect person to say so: he never had a choice as to his vocation or ambition. It was pre-determined for him, and few sane people would want to trade places with him.
In reality, people of all generations should try to reach beyond their grasp. The folly is when achieving things beyond your humble origins becomes an entitlement, rather than a bonus. There are lots of smart people out there who have worked very hard to exceed their natural circumstances, who only do marginally better than their parents or peers did. Those that have risen above tremendous adversity go on to get their own television networks (good for you, Oprah), or have movies of the week made about their story are the exception, not the rule.
The rest of us need to be content with what fate conspires to deliver to us for our efforts.
I have a creepy feeling about a whole generation of trophy-kids entering the workplace, when their parents and society have failed to expose them to unbridled competition or at least some understanding of the harsh reality of life. Far too many parents would storm into the principal’s office when Susie didn’t get an “A” in chemistry.
What’s going to happen when Susie’s dad wants to storm into the boss’s office when Susie gets fired?