I’m showing the painting above, Indomitable Will, because I think it illustrates a point that has been racing around in my head for a long time, one that has a lot to do with elemental issues of who we are and what we deserve in this world.
Like everybody else, I have been somewhat engulfed by the fire of the populist rage over the AIG bonuses, not to mention those much larger bonuses at Merrill Lynch and others. It’s not the size of these bonuses or the sheer audacity of those who to try to defend them that really bothers me.
The part that bothers me most is the underlying sentiment that plagues our country and blinds these particular fools to their own greedy actions. I’m talking about sense of entitlement that many here feel. The feeling that we “deserve” this or that. The feeling that simply by being we deserve a big house, a new SUV, all the latest gadgets and clothes. That we deserve everything we see.
Now I know I’m beginning to sound like the old curmudgeon in his front lawn, waving my fist at the kids riding their bikes in front of his house but this is such an obvious flaw in our collective character as of late that it can’t be downplayed.
We are entitled to nothing but the chance to accomplish our goals on a fair and level playing field. We are entitled to the right to work hard if we so choose. We are entitled to have our voices heard.
We are entitled to simply be.
For me, the painting above says that. The tree is us and it exists in this world with the right to simply be. To stand tall. To feel the wind pass over it. To see the sky.
A chance to be.
That is its only entitlement.
I know this is incomplete and easily thrown aside, but that is the downside of writing a blog off the cuff, as thoughts fall out of a feeble brain. But hopefully the gist of what I’m trying to say comes through…
Redtree Times 