Sue for Entitlement

From the “strange but true” file comes this unusual story of selfish entitlement.

Twenty-seven-year-old Raphael Samuel filed a lawsuit against his parents because – get this – they didn’t seek his permission before giving birth to him. Because of that oversight, he said, his parents were obligated to pay his expenses for the rest of his life.

Talk about selfishness run amuck. Instead of feeling gratitude for everything his parents did to sacrifice and give him a good life, Raphael chose what has become a common attitude – entitlement. People like Raphael believe they deserve a good life, but they don’t believe they should have to do anything to earn it. And when they don’t get what they want, they throw a fit – or file a lawsuit.

Raphael eventually dropped his lawsuit after no lawyer would represent him. Maybe now he’ll learn a valuable life lesson about selfishness: when we live only for ourselves, we don’t become better, we become bitter. We don’t become more fulfilled, we diminish our potential. Entitlement not only robs us of a better life, but everyone around us as well.

Giving to others sacrificially, on the other hand, deepens our character, widens our community, and unlocks our potential. In the end, only if our lives are rooted in selflessness and characterized by love, faith, and sacrifice will we enrich ourselves while blessing those closest to us.