Sunday Opinion: The entitlement mindset of millennials

Christian theologian John Wesley once said, “What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace.”

America has tolerated the entitlement mindset for decades, and now, it seems an overwhelming majority of the millennial generation believes Americans are entitled to security and a dignified life.

A life void of the "shame" of working at Starbucks, as Ashton Kutcher mentioned during his recent anti-entitlement discussion. 

American exceptionalism has evolved from “We are exceptional because of our free society,” into “We are exceptional therefore life in our society should be free.”

Too many of America’s college students embrace the notion that because we have abundance we are inherently exceptional and therefore entitled to a secured, worry-free life.

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Americans are no more exceptional, as humans created in God’s image, than anyone else in this world. What made us exceptional was our belief that man was born free, not a slave to an overbearing government.

The moment America embraced the idea that we are entitled to life's necessities through government programs, was the moment America planted the seed that everyone is entitled to health insurance, or free daycare, or government provided cell phones.

We have the right to receive dignity as human beings, but we are not entitled to dignified lives. That is to be determined through our individual life choices and accomplishments.

Follow the author of this article on Twitter @CalebBonham