Less Is More

I was able to go camping this week with my family. I love the times when we get to go and spend time by ourselves. We go to places where I’ve grown up camping my whole life. I have made so many good memories with my family. We always have a good time.  But I’ve noticed, during and even for a short time after our trips, our attitudes change, mine included.

It’s been my observation, and I’m sure it’s been others’ as well, that once we get more of what we want, the more we end up wanting. When we go camping, we tend to get a lot of things we don’t normally get at home. Especially when Dad’s in charge. J Today was our last day in the campground. As we were packing up, we all started complaining and whining. I began feeling entitled to being somewhat pampered and felt the need to be “treated differently.” I felt like I was being told to do everything and that people were getting mad at me for no good reason. My whole point of view changed. I had to have certain things and things done my way or I couldn’t be happy. Or so I felt.

This way of thinking is very common. It’s present in many families around the world. Like I said earlier, it is the product of having received too much of what is wanted. I’ve seen many examples of entitlement, even among my friends. There’s a chain reaction of things that happen: someone gets something they want, they start asking for more, they get it, they want even more, parents say no, they’re angry and don’t know how to handle it, parents give in to their child’s anger/sadness, child becomes entitled and feels they need everything they want, they become disrespectful to parents and parents feel that the only way to handle it is by giving them what more of what they want. This is the pattern I’ve seen often. It makes me very sad to see people my age so disrespectful to the ones that raised them and nurtured them. I also despair at the parents who don’t know how to handle it, even with younger children.

The familiar phrase, “1-2-3” from parents is an attempt to keep younger children in control, but most of the time it doesn’t work. It’s really just a struggle for power and a pull at strings to stay in charge. When there is entitlement, people need structure. I have had the great blessing to have parents who have the skills needed to keep control and respect, yet keep us humble and happy.

I only hope that I’m not the only one who sees this. It’s only becoming worse. But, I know that it can be helped and that life is happier when you appreciate what you have.