Huainanzi - Entry 72

Trey Smith

When benevolence is overextended, it becomes weakness; and if you are weak, you lack dignity.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

One point made by conservatives is that, if you give away too many freebies in the form of government assistance, a lot of people become weak and lazy. As a general point, I don't really disagree. If people are handed too much without any requirement of responsibility on their part, many people will come to feel entitled and expect that they should receive much for nothing.

I know many adults who were spoiled rotten as children. Their parents catered to their every whim and desire. While this strategy might have kept them fat and happy during their childhood, they grow up to become adults who expect everything to be handed to them on a silver platter. Since the world rarely works that way, they throw what amounts to temper tantrums to try to force others to bend to their will. When this doesn't work, many become overly self-destructive.

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.