My parents had experienced severe hardship. They weathered
the dual storms of the Great Depression and a world at war. They could pinch a
penny so hard that Lincoln screamed. I was brought from the hospital to a house
my dad built with his own hands. I rode in a second car, a necessity because
Dad travelled for his business. There was always food on the table, although
there was seldom steak and never caviar. My “soft drink” was mixed from a jar
of syrup Mom bought from the Jewel Tea delivery man. Mom made most of the
clothes my sisters and I wore, or she bought them from the Sears Roebuck sale
catalogues. We had all the basics, but we were never coddled, never spoiled.
My wife and I raised our three children much the same way,
although we were able to provide a few things that went beyond bare
necessities. I am happy to say that as they grew and raised children of their
own, they did not spoil them either. Not so with their peers. The Millennials
and all the X, Y, Z gang are characterized by a sense of entitlement. I do not
think it is coincidental that this is the first generation who were told that
spanking was abuse. This is also the generation who attended public schools
where prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance were eliminated and the Bible was
banned. Time-tested, biblical methods of discipline went out the window, and
lackadaisical attitude toward child rearing flew in.
I have written previously about the dumbing down of students
in the public schools in America. I have witnessed such ridiculous notions as
“invented spelling,” multiple test retakes, and blue ribbons for simple
participation. I have seen the results of such nonsense in college freshmen.
They wanted “A’s” for showing up – or even for showing up occasionally. The
mistaken idea that a child will be damaged emotionally if success is not
manufactured for them has created a generation who feels entitled to success
without effort on their part.
This is not just an academic problem. The same distorted
reality has begun to appear in the workplace. The demand for a minimum wage
sufficient for subsistence exposes the belief that people are entitled to make
what they need to live on no matter how menial the job. Minimum wage jobs are
supposed to be platforms to learn what work is about and to build character. Then,
perhaps promotion from a minimum wage job will lead to a wage sufficient for
subsistence. Sadly, the Millennials expect more than what a minimum wage was
intended to deliver.
That’s not all I see in the “Entitled Generation.” My
part-time work after I retired revealed a class of young people who thought
they deserved a paycheck whether they did their job efficiently or not –
whether they showed up regularly, on time, or not. Whether the customers were
the ones who were entitled to service or not. The entitlement mentality has
seeped into our society so deeply that even emotional satisfaction is expected.
Millennials expect to feel good at all times. If something is hard, they believe
they are being abused. They are spoiled. Period.
The pitiful condition of American morality and the
selfishness that characterizes so many people is a direct result of being
spoiled. Everybody wants something they don’t deserve. Blacks want reparations.
Illegal aliens want financial support. Criminals want immunity from
prosecution. Mothers want to be rid of their unborn children. Christians want
to sit in churches where they can feel good about themselves. Everybody feels
entitled to something. Entitlement leads to disobedience: “You can’t tell me
what I can or can’t do!”
It is hard to find biblical support for the entitlement
attitude that is endemic in America today. However, it is easy to find biblical
methods that would result in a proper attitude. “Foolishness is bound in the
heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” (Pr.
22:15 KJV) “Do not withhold discipline from the child; although you strike him
with the rod, he will not die.” (Pr. 23:13) “All discipline seems… painful, but
later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness for those who are trained
by it.” (He. 12:11) “But whoever misleads one of these little ones who believe
in Me, it would be better for him to have a millstone hung about his neck and
to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Mt.
18:6 MEV)
You may not see how the last quotation applies. My
frustration with spoiled students and lazy co-workers and selfish citizens
makes me wish some parents could be drowned. I think I have God’s mind on this.
Referring to Israel’s disobedience, God
spoke through Ezekiel: “With the fire of my wrath I destroyed them; I
returned their [disobedient] way upon their head.” Through the prophet Samuel,
God told King Saul: “Rebellion is like the sin of divination;
arrogance is like iniquity and idolatry.” Throughout the prophecies
of coming doom on wayward Israel, Yahweh says that by bringing disaster on His
people, He will prove that He is God alone, and He hates disobedience.
Spoiled behavior demonstrates selfishness and pride. That is
precisely what got Adam and Eve kicked out of the Garden and sentenced all of
us to a life bound to sinful desires. That is what Satan brought upon the human
race. Paul
recognizes this when he warns: “Our struggle is not against blood and
flesh, but… against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the
heavenly places.” A proper application of the rod will decrease the necessity
to wield the sword later on.
Related Posts: The
Dumbing of America; Paging
Phinehas Eliazar
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