Why receiving money not earned is not a good thing
Today I was thinking about the effect someone getting a large amount of money without earning it can have on them. This doesn't have anything to do with Christmas gifts by the way. I'm thinking more of someone who wins something on a tv show, someone who wins the lottery, or someone who receives welfare checks.
Most of us assume in life that things won't just be given to us. We might not think about this every day, but it's an assumption that effects the way we live our lives every day. We take it for granted. We don't sit around thinking of ways we can get things for free. We deal with reality, and work in order to get paid.
Have you ever seen someone get a huge gift, say...on some television show where the host gives away cars? It's nice isn't it. The person is a presumably a nice person who never asked for anything, but was given a car. And it's great to see the cheer in their eyes. We love to see that.
But after that initial moment, I think something interesting happens in the mind. The mind, which in the past always had the assumption that you always had to earn what you had, is now presented with something that goes against that assumption. A few moments after that great experience of the humble person receiving that unearned gift, their mind wonders "hmm maybe there's more?"
The assumption has changed. The assumption that effected their every day lives has now been altered. Now, there's always a possibility (whether consciously thought or not) that they will be given something they didn't earn. And I think this effects their thinking in many more ways than we understand.
Obviously the extent to which this has an effect on the person depends on how big the gift is, and just how unearned it is. It also depends on how frequently such gifts are given to them. Does some generous person given them a $1,000 check every month to be nice? Or is it just a 1 time deal?
To wrap things up, it's not good for people to receive too much stuff that they do not earn. It is done with the best intentions, but has negative effects that can impact their every day lives. It also could be a demotivator of a good work ethic.
Most of us assume in life that things won't just be given to us. We might not think about this every day, but it's an assumption that effects the way we live our lives every day. We take it for granted. We don't sit around thinking of ways we can get things for free. We deal with reality, and work in order to get paid.
Have you ever seen someone get a huge gift, say...on some television show where the host gives away cars? It's nice isn't it. The person is a presumably a nice person who never asked for anything, but was given a car. And it's great to see the cheer in their eyes. We love to see that.
But after that initial moment, I think something interesting happens in the mind. The mind, which in the past always had the assumption that you always had to earn what you had, is now presented with something that goes against that assumption. A few moments after that great experience of the humble person receiving that unearned gift, their mind wonders "hmm maybe there's more?"
The assumption has changed. The assumption that effected their every day lives has now been altered. Now, there's always a possibility (whether consciously thought or not) that they will be given something they didn't earn. And I think this effects their thinking in many more ways than we understand.
Obviously the extent to which this has an effect on the person depends on how big the gift is, and just how unearned it is. It also depends on how frequently such gifts are given to them. Does some generous person given them a $1,000 check every month to be nice? Or is it just a 1 time deal?
To wrap things up, it's not good for people to receive too much stuff that they do not earn. It is done with the best intentions, but has negative effects that can impact their every day lives. It also could be a demotivator of a good work ethic.
posted by Unwilling Participant at 1:46 PM
2 Comments:
I agree that people *should* have a work ethic, and those who do ultimately pay the cost for those who don't. If a person gets something for nothing on a regular basis, it becomes expected, and of course people want more.
But you cannot deny that most people who work would love to get paid more for doing the same amount of work. Is there a significant difference between that and the person who doesn't work at all? I think it's just human nature.
Thanks for the comments. I agree with you, it is human nature to want more. I guess deep down we all want something for nothing. But we know it's not usually possible. So we play the game of life by those rules. But when we do get something for nothing, I think it effects us somehow psychologically where we almost come to expect more for nothing. "What else?"
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