I spoke with a man the other day.
He was so angry.
He was angry at the world.
He was angry at the banks.
He was angry at the guy down the street who, instead of losing his house, had been given a super-low rate mortgage by a bank so he could keep living there and the bank would not have to foreclose on the house.
This man wanted that loan.
Why can't he have it?
He felt entitled to it.
After all, he had always paid his bills on time, and - who knows? He might run into trouble some day and need a low rate loan to keep his home, so he wanted it now.
When I analyzed the man's current loan situation, it seemed to me he had a very nice home and he really did not have bad financing on it - but he felt he deserved something better.
He had lost sight of the difference between
rights and privileges.
In America you have a right to own property,
but you do not have a right to borrow money to buy the property -
that is a privilege, something you earn.
You have a right to the pursuit of happiness,
but you are not entitled to a happy life -
this is a privilege, something you earn.
If I can turn
"I am entitled to..."
into
"I am grateful for..."
this may be the first step
in the Pursuit of Happiness.
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