David graduated from Harvard with honours and everyone told him how he is going to have a phenomenally successful career in whatever he decided to do.
One week later, after applying for a junior position with a consulting firm, David was being interviewed by Jim, the firm's senior managing partner.
Jim believed the new crop of graduates coming out are spoiled and think that they have everything coming to them. He liked to ask unique interview questions to try and uncover the true stripes of the applicant.
"So, David, what would you do with one million dollars?" Jim asked.
"Well that's very nice of you," replied David. "I wasn't expecting to start with such a high salary, but I will – of course – be happy to accept the job."
Research conducted by the University of Hampshire found that millennials (youth born from the mid-1990s to early 2000s) have developed an entitlement complex, meaning that they tend to believe they are more deserving of certain things and feel superior to others (30 per cent of college students polled feel that they deserve at least a “B” just for showing up to class).
This study, published on Spring.org, stated that this form of narcissism could have significant consequences for young people, such as feelings of unhappiness, frustration and a cycle of disappointment in life. This is something that should give grandparents, who naturally want to spoil their grandkids rotten, serious pause.
The Torah teaches us about the mitzvah of bikkurim (the first fruits). During the times of the Temple, it was a mitzvah to bring the first fruits of a crop to the Temple to thank God for the produce that year.
The Torah is full of mitzvot that remind us to be humble and grateful. These small actions effect our psyche and help us to become appreciative rather than entitled. It is the antidote for the malady described above.
By continuing to make our blessings each day, we provide ourselves and our families with a better way to view the world.
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