So – laziness, and envy. Two of the most dangerous traits you can have, to your fellow man. I didn't know they were both so prevalent, in my own generation or the ones previous. I was raised to understand that some have a lot and some have little, and while we should be generous and help those in need, we also should respect people's property. If someone is feeling generous and gives us something we didn't earn, we should be grateful – not take that for granted and start to think we deserved it somehow.
So I'll add another statement in here and we'll start getting more controversial, if I may; You are not entitled to anyone else's property. No matter how rich they are. No matter how well they're doing. No matter how in need you are.
You can't just take things from people when you want them. That makes for a divisive society. You can ask people for things you want from them, or you can offer something in return if they give it to you. That's how freedom works. You're free to ask for things, and your peers are free to say no.
When kids are being raised and we teach them to be generous, we also teach the other child that it's wrong to demand things – that we ask nicely. I think when I have children I will encourage them to share because it will help them to make friends and the other children will be more likely to also share with them, but I definitely don't plan on teaching my children that it's their responsibility to give things that belong to them away to other people. We should be teaching kindness and generosity, but not that is forced.
I'll probably talk a bit about one of my heroes and his take on parenting later. But that's one of the areas I feel we as a race fell short on. I see a lot of people my age and older who seem to think that others owe them something. I don't know how I escaped that feeling, and I might feel differently if my life were harder. But at the end of the day, I've gone through places in my life where we had nothing, and I never resented the people who had more than I did.
I just asked them for help. And I got some.
I just don't think it's okay to ask the government to point guns at people when you want their money.
I don't think it's okay to point a gun at anyone just because you want something they have. At all. And before you say, “But the government doesn't point guns at people to collect taxes,” what do you think would happen to me if I decided to keep all the money I earn? The money that's rightfully mine, not anyone else's? If I refused to pay income tax?
We can't keep using our government to threaten other people who have more than we do. And I say “we” because in the grand scheme of things I don't have much either.