I was recently interviewed for a podcast (stay tuned!) and I was asked what is the opposite of care. Without hesitation, my answer was, is, entitlement!
I have written about care in the past, today, I would like to explore our insatiable hunger for ownership and our relentless pursuit of consumption, and how those have morphed into a rampant culture of entitlement.
From the corridors of power to the streets we walk, this entitlement permeates our actions, poisoning relationships, stifling creativity, and perpetuating exploitation.
Consider the plight of the artist, whose labor of love is devalued and commodified by a society that demands entertainment without compensation. We revel in their creations, yet balk at the mere suggestion of paying for their hard work. We consume their music, their literature, their visual art, and in return offer nothing but empty praise and indifference to their struggle to make ends meet.
The entitlement to free access to creativity has become so ingrained that we fail to recognize the exploitation inherent in our actions.
We consider normal an artist should pay a submission fee to submit their work and never stop at thinking that we are not asked to pay a submission fee when submit our resumes!
We feel ok in participating to “free” workshops, grab “free” resources, use someone artworks to grab someone’s else attention, etc., without ever stopping to ask what support we can offer.
But it's not just artists who suffer at the hands of our entitlement. Innovators and thinkers are routinely robbed of their ideas, their intellectual property plundered for profit by those who see nothing wrong with taking what isn't theirs.
The notion of "borrowing" ideas has been twisted into a justification for outright theft, with no regard for the countless hours of research and development that went into their creation.
We celebrate innovation, yet conveniently forget to compensate those who make it possible, choosing instead to line our own pockets at their expense.
Our entitlement extends beyond the realm of creativity and innovation, permeating every aspect of our lives. We exploit the natural world, stripping it of resources without a second thought for the consequences. We exploit the labor of others, demanding more for less and turning a blind eye to the human cost of our insatiable consumption. We exploit each other, clinging to outdated notions of superiority and entitlement, perpetuating systems of oppression and inequality.
We typically complain about other’s entitlement, how entitled are our politicians or people in position of power. Rarely, we admit our own entitlement. It's time to confront the naked truth of our entitlement and the exploitation it enables. We must recognize that everything is not ours for the taking, that every action has consequences, and that our entitlement comes at a steep price. We must learn to value the labor of others, to support and uplift those whose creativity and innovation enrich our lives. We must strive to build a culture of reciprocity and respect, where exploitation has no place and entitlement is replaced with care.
The path forward is not an easy one, but it is a necessary one if we are to build a more just and equitable world. It requires us to confront our own privilege (without responsibility) and complicity in exploitation, to challenge the systems and structures that perpetuate it, and to commit ourselves to a future where the rights and dignity of all are respected. Only then can we truly break free from the chains of entitlement and build a world where everyone has the opportunity to flourish and thrive.
In what ways can you show care today? Our actions show what we care for more than our words and crafted brands do. I often say “Show me how you care and I will tell you what you care for”.
The question isn’t “can I make art,” the real question is “Do I care enough to do it?” Seth Godin
Art practice is how I care. Art practice is what connects me to the world in a caring way. I care enough to believe that we can create a work culture like a piece of art. The reNEWal of society (and organisations) happens only if someone cares. Can we collectively care to re-connect with the sacred heART of being human? Can we care enough to collectively practice (art)?
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