but i deserve it

No, you don't. You really really don't.

So this morning, T-rav sent me a link to an article in the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune about an Iraqi guy who recently arrived in the US as a refugee. He has quite the tragic story: he worked as an interpreter for the Army, hired through the independent contracting company by the name of L3, and somehow lost both of his legs while serving. He claims his medical treatment from L3 was not fantastic, and the prosthetic legs he was given are too heavy and painful for him to use. But luckily, he was granted refugee status by the US (as he would most likely be killed if he returned to his hometown) and was shipped over here for a new life. Unluckily, the airline he flew on to the US managed to destroy his motorized wheelchair on the flight, and he hasn't yet been given a new one (he does have a hand-operated chair); he was only greeted at the airport by a Somali guy who had a funny accent; his apartment is tiny and by the freeway; he's only been given "normal" refugee status...etc, etc.

Now, this is all really terrible. Because of the service this man provided his country and our own, he can no longer live in safety in Iraq.

However...that does not mean that the US owes him. He worked as a private contractor who understood the risks of his job. I'm sure he was paid much more than he ever would have made at a regular job. Yes, we should be grateful for what he's done, but does that mean that we need to shower all glory, laud, and honor upon him? Does he deserve a brand new life handed to him on a silver platter?

NO.

This attitude is something that I think has become more and more pervasive in our society these days. Everyone thinks that the government owes them this and that because, well, I work hard and should be rewarded, right?

But what I think is even more interesting to watch is how different cultures view entitlement. Take two groups of refugees that T-rav works with: Iraqis and Burmese. Both have fled their countries because of war and unrest. Both are lucky to have been given a new life in the US. The Burmese have often been born and raised in refugee camps. When they get to the US, they are grateful and gracious for all the resettlement agency does for them. They rarely ask for extras, but are usually glad simply to have a chance to start over. On the other had, the Iraqis have often been living in Jordan or Syria before they arrive in the US. Some of them are educated, some of them are not. Many of them come from middle or upper class Iraq and had homes, jobs, and cars before they left. But when they get to the US, many (not all-remember, these are just generalizations) of them are disappointed and even resentful of the things they don't have. They ask why they don't have a TV, where is their computer, why their apartment is so small and simple, why they don't get a new car, why haven't they gotten their living stipend yet, why it isn't more, etc., etc.

I don't know if these differences are in part because one group had nothing in a refugee camp and one group had a little (or a lot) in another country. But either way, these people have nothing to complain about. They come with a group like the IRC or Catholic Community Services, who provide them with food, clothing, housing, jobs, English classes, integration into the US, support, immigration services (green cards, citizenship, etc), Medicaid, bus passes...and the list goes on. These same refugees also fail to notice that many of the people who work at the resettlement agencies and hear the constant barrage of demands are often over-educated, underpaid, and could easily get a much more lucrative job at a for-profit company.

The good news is that not everyone acts like this. There are plenty of stories of people who truly appreciate the chance they've been given at a new life. But those who haven't managed to learn to be grateful, I have 1 thing to say to you:

Life doesn't owe you anything.