Entitlement

Entitlement: the state of being entitled. Entitled: to give (a person or thing) a title, right, or claim to something; furnish with grounds for laying claim: His executive position entitled him to certain courtesies rarely accorded others.

OK, now that we have defined what we are discussing, let's discuss. I have highlighted the part of this definition that's in contention. Under what circumstances should we feel we have a right to something? What things do we have rights for? More to the point: Does a lifetime (or any amount) of hard work, obeying the law, and being good citizens and taxpayers. Does any of this entitle us to anything?

I have worked hard all throughout my adult life. I worked hard before that, too, but since becoming an independent adult I have expended a lot of effort (and put up with a lot of crap) to ensure a tranquil, secure existence. Pursuit of happiness, I suppose. But was that really my goal? Is that really important? What could I have done--what should I have done--instead?

I'm not looking into my motivations for having pursued the things I have. I am intellectually very curious, and if nothing else I have tried to ensure my ability to indulge my curiosity. I don't have any children, so I have had a certain amount of time on my hands. I like to do architectural design and I am an aspiring writer. Both of those consume a lot of time, and require a certain level of electronic gadgetry to in order to accomplish. So, I have worked to ensure I have a place where I can pursue my avocations, time to work on them, money to buy the things to make them possible, and lastly be able to have "hobbies" in an environment where I'm not worried where my next meal will come from. Wasted life? Wasted effort? Worthless pursuits? No. If I become published I think it will be apparent my time and efforts haven't been wasted.

I'm not focused on my career. It's just a job that enables me to have a real life. And no, my real life is not just sitting all alone and working on my latest story. My real life has a partner in it--my spouse--and I want to ensure she is happy and comfortable where she is. Why? Because when she is happy and content, I am happy and content. I'm experienced enough with myself to know that, and smart enough to have achieved that, as well. I didn't want to be alone, so I'm not. It isn't just money, not by a long way, but money does make it possible. Money makes it easier.

So, I work hard to make enough money to provide a stable, happy, serene home environment for myself and my spouse, and lately we've even been enough to provide a home for my youngest stepdaughter. This has been challenging, from time to time, but quite important for my spouse's happiness. I'd have been a rank fool not to have done it (that is, to have taken in the young woman when she was broke and trying to graduate college). It isn't about the money, but money does make it possible.

I have pursued acquiring stuff in my life: I had an expensive sports car, a few years ago. I had the latest computer equipment (that alone required frequent upgrades). I spent a fair amount of money on clothes and other trappings of "success." Those pursuits were interesting, but as time went by I realized their importance was dissipating. Much of that stuff (pun intended) just doesn't matter very much. Not if happiness is at stake. Having things does not, and will not, represent any sort of goal in my life. Not now, not later.

When we were in Florida on vacation, recently, we were subjected to a very hard-sell attempt to convince us to buy more timeshare points. (I do have a timeshare, already.) The primary notion was that if we wanted to take vacations twice a year, then we really needed more points to make that possible. The question was asked: "Don't you want to be able to travel when you retire, and know it will be taken care of?" Well, I know the answer to that: No. Not even a little bit.

It's not that I wouldn't want to travel and/or take vacations away from home, because from time to time I would (and do) want to do those things. But I see my wants being a very long distance away from the things that are actually important. Maybe there's an implicit assumption here that's not being said--the basic question of why I'm working. Is it to be able to retire in comfort, or is it for some other reason? Well, it's for some other reason.

I have been saving for retirement for a long time, but recent events have made that less certain. Of course, I don't want to have to work until I die, but there's a very real chance I might have to. Do I like that? No, but do I have a choice? What I do for a living is fairly challenging, intellectually, so having to continue working isn't as mind-numbing or dreaded as it might be for some. I'd like to think I can stop working and "relax," but if not, then I'm not going to lose my mind. Sure, I'd like to think I can stop working and spend more leisure time, but I'm not counting on it, and I will not jeopardize anything in the present to "ensure" anything in the future (speaking of vacation timeshares, specifically). Failure to manage the here and now makes the future even less certain, so it's clear to me that sacrificing things now just for more in retirement doesn't make complete sense. Especially since I know I cannot count on having that retirement work out the way I've planned. I'm still saving as much as I can, but I still need to live in the now.

This is where the notion of entitlement comes into play. Sure, I'd like to be able to travel, and not just in retirement. Sure, I'd like to have more "points" to spend on more leisure activities, but there are almost certainly more important things at stake. I am not entitled to have a comfortable retirement. There are no laws guaranteeing this, and no amount of effort on my part (short of becoming independently wealthy) will ensure it. I'm not independently wealthy. It's never been a goal. If I have the resources to have a vacation or two, from time to time, then I consider that a bonus in my life, but there is a huge difference between having disposable resources to use for leisure, and converting those resources into non-elective obligations. The difference should be obvious to anyone.

I guess the reason I've been going on about this "entitlement" thing is that the salesman's arguments all went toward selling to the baby boomer who thinks the world owes them something. They all hinted at the notion of entitlement, and it was that assumption (and the realization that he was probably quite successful selling to others) that struck me so profoundly. Because it just ain't so, and no amount of wishing is going to change anything. (I'm speaking about others' desires to have their two vacations a year guaranteed, or something like that.)

I have noticed quite a few younger folks at these "owner update" sessions. (These sessions are not to update you on anything. They are simply to sell you more stuff.) Now, I'm not wondering how younger (sub 40) folks can afford these relatively expensive timeshare vacations, because they might be doing quite well for themselves. Perhaps even better. Good for them. I also suppose if they feel they should be taking multiple vacations a year, then also good for them. Maybe they also feel entitled to being able to do these things, but that's where I fail to understand.

Baby boomers are notoriously selfish. Self-absorbed. I know, because you could call me self-absorbed. I have no children, a good income, and lots of time to do whatever I want. Of course I'm going to be "me first" about most things. There's no one else to consider. But these days I'm very careful about spending money. I might have been rather careless and carefree, before, but almost losing my job has alerted me to the rather tenuous nature of most of the things we've been taking for granted. Nothing is guaranteed. You are not entitled to anything. Work hard, save your money, and with luck you'll be all right. But you have to know that it might not all work out the way you think. Since one cannot simply crawl in a hole and hide, some risks will have to be taken, but there is a difference between a calculated, considered risk, and a foolish one.

I believe spending a portion of my income now on leisure activities that I may or may not be able to afford, later, would be an incredibly irresponsible thing to do. Even if I did nothing more than put the money in the bank, it would still not be prudent to spend any more money on vacation timeshares. And that's because spending discretionary funds today on timeshare points converts these funds from discretionary to non-discretionary. In fact I would be purchasing a "mortgage" with fixed monthly obligations to pay the damn thing.

If my situation were to improve, then I wouldn't miss the money, likely. But I don't know that and can't guarantee I will maintain my employment at the required level. It seems almost as likely that I'll need these discretionary funds because they might go away in the future. I can feel like I deserve two vacations a year all I want, but that feeling can dry up in a heartbeat. The salesman's argument that "you'll spend the money anyway, so why not spend it on points" falls down hugely, because I would only spend the money if I had it. An elective vacation is not a sunk cost until I spend money on it. Timeshare points, in case you haven't figured it out, are a sunk cost whether you can afford to go on vacation, or not.

I suppose what dismayed me the most was that his pitch was developed and tuned to the intended audience--me. My demographic, and the general population of middle-income folks who really do feel like they are entitled to something. Not just for their labors, but by their very existence. Some folks think government-sponsored healthcare would be a socialist disaster, but don't you take away their Medicare! In principle we are against spending money on others, but we have no problem spending money on ourselves. There really should be no question why, because of course we're all entitled.