With my current financial situation going on, it go me wondering a bit about "entitlement". And yes, it might get a bit absurd and with a large stretch alltogether. So with that in mind...
Do you feel you're entitled to whatever you have going on right now? Is it your right? And why is it your right? Because someone once decided that it's like that? What if someone would decide it's not like that anymore?
Over a year ago, I was at my therapist and we had a discussion about being employed, being on benefits/social security, and what one would do if one wouldn't be having such a situation going on.
He told me; Imagine, the government tells you, you will not get any money from them as means of social security and you're on your own. What would you do? He obviously hinted at "you should look for a job and should be able to take care of yourself".
I thought about it a bit and told him "I'd ask what this crap was about". Especially since I figure that it wouldn't apply to me alone. If it would, I'd feel I'd been picked out, if I weren't, there's a lot of people having an issue with this. With that would come that a lot of people that are on benefits, that would not be able to pay the rent, be homeless, people would end up being locked up in an asylum (which by new national law requires people to pay for even), thus I foresee a lot of problemcases roaming the street for a while. Obviously, they'll die off if they couldn't feed themselves, but imagine they could... plundering stores as they go.
Similarly, is it (a) right for people to claim entitlement to get meds or treatment they require for their disorder? What if I have bipolar, am I entitled to receive meds and services? Why is that?
So, what if I were the only one, and they told me "no, f*ck off". I told him... that's easy. Since we don't have the death penalty here and being in prison still beats being on the street by means of "having a roof over your head", why not rob, plunder and kill people by means to survive?.He gave me a blank stare and apparently disapproved with my idea on survival.
To which I told him "what? Am I not entitled to survive?". Because if we're not even entitled to that, I deem life kinda worthless... yes, in a way I do believe a bit of what Nietzsche said about existential nihilism, but I'm not that rigorous with it. If anything I'm a hedonistic nihilist, if there is something like that. I care for my fun, after that it's a big black hole. And I can see that this does not sit well with people, and especially not people who are paying taxes to support the unemployed (either disability or just because they can't get employed).
But, I'm not advocating people to go out and murder, far from it, but let's be real for a moment. There's a really thin line of what people are entitled to nowadays. Heck, we have to claim "entitlement" by means of contracts on jobs even. Imagine this would not be the case. "Work here, and we might give you means to live off". We even have unions for that, to even make sure a company does play by those rules. Likewise; If you have a job, do you feel that you're entitled to be part of society and all things they provide? What if the government would say "The roads are ours, and usage will be punished by death". Or, what if your boss paid you in whatever your local currency is, and you couldn't spend it anywhere. You'd still get paid, but nowhere does it say that it has to match what one can afford for it. Or say, the government will throw up taxes 5000%... do you feel you're entitled think it's unfair and do something about it? Of course you will, because you work and feel you contribute to society, thus you feel you're entitled to stand up for your rights.
Now, the other way... how about disabled people. Are they entitled to anything? Clearly, if they collect disability they don't contribute a lot to society, like say... a construction worker (actually I beg to differ, because they keep social workers, therapists, and people like that on a payroll). Are you entitled to have a "good life"? I think everyone should be entitled to that. Monetary values and issues totally aside.
But yeah, I still wonder, why do we feel we're entitled to anything? And likewise, what if at some day we're not entitled to anything (for whatever reason we could not change; heck, for what it's worth, an alien invasion that enslaves us).
Do you feel you're entitled to whatever you have going on right now? Is it your right? And why is it your right? Because someone once decided that it's like that? What if someone would decide it's not like that anymore?
Over a year ago, I was at my therapist and we had a discussion about being employed, being on benefits/social security, and what one would do if one wouldn't be having such a situation going on.
He told me; Imagine, the government tells you, you will not get any money from them as means of social security and you're on your own. What would you do? He obviously hinted at "you should look for a job and should be able to take care of yourself".
I thought about it a bit and told him "I'd ask what this crap was about". Especially since I figure that it wouldn't apply to me alone. If it would, I'd feel I'd been picked out, if I weren't, there's a lot of people having an issue with this. With that would come that a lot of people that are on benefits, that would not be able to pay the rent, be homeless, people would end up being locked up in an asylum (which by new national law requires people to pay for even), thus I foresee a lot of problemcases roaming the street for a while. Obviously, they'll die off if they couldn't feed themselves, but imagine they could... plundering stores as they go.
Similarly, is it (a) right for people to claim entitlement to get meds or treatment they require for their disorder? What if I have bipolar, am I entitled to receive meds and services? Why is that?
So, what if I were the only one, and they told me "no, f*ck off". I told him... that's easy. Since we don't have the death penalty here and being in prison still beats being on the street by means of "having a roof over your head", why not rob, plunder and kill people by means to survive?.He gave me a blank stare and apparently disapproved with my idea on survival.
To which I told him "what? Am I not entitled to survive?". Because if we're not even entitled to that, I deem life kinda worthless... yes, in a way I do believe a bit of what Nietzsche said about existential nihilism, but I'm not that rigorous with it. If anything I'm a hedonistic nihilist, if there is something like that. I care for my fun, after that it's a big black hole. And I can see that this does not sit well with people, and especially not people who are paying taxes to support the unemployed (either disability or just because they can't get employed).
But, I'm not advocating people to go out and murder, far from it, but let's be real for a moment. There's a really thin line of what people are entitled to nowadays. Heck, we have to claim "entitlement" by means of contracts on jobs even. Imagine this would not be the case. "Work here, and we might give you means to live off". We even have unions for that, to even make sure a company does play by those rules. Likewise; If you have a job, do you feel that you're entitled to be part of society and all things they provide? What if the government would say "The roads are ours, and usage will be punished by death". Or, what if your boss paid you in whatever your local currency is, and you couldn't spend it anywhere. You'd still get paid, but nowhere does it say that it has to match what one can afford for it. Or say, the government will throw up taxes 5000%... do you feel you're entitled think it's unfair and do something about it? Of course you will, because you work and feel you contribute to society, thus you feel you're entitled to stand up for your rights.
Now, the other way... how about disabled people. Are they entitled to anything? Clearly, if they collect disability they don't contribute a lot to society, like say... a construction worker (actually I beg to differ, because they keep social workers, therapists, and people like that on a payroll). Are you entitled to have a "good life"? I think everyone should be entitled to that. Monetary values and issues totally aside.
But yeah, I still wonder, why do we feel we're entitled to anything? And likewise, what if at some day we're not entitled to anything (for whatever reason we could not change; heck, for what it's worth, an alien invasion that enslaves us).
