Entitlement. What feelings does this word bring to you? Does it bring you familiar feelings, or does it disgust you? Does it feel comfortable or does it strike anger and light a fire in your soul? I hope that it is the latter of both of these options, but I imagine it is more of the first.

Let's take a step back for a moment. I am 19 years old and was born in 1996. This means that I am part of this wonderful group called "millennials." As much as I am serious about that compliment, I am equally facetious. This is a continuing rant from other articles I have written, and I just don't vent all my feelings each time I try. To be brutally honest, we are disgraceful people as a whole. Are there plenty of good people our age? Yes, of course. That is not to ignore that the ideals that come to represent us are terrible. Most of the things I see that are called "progress" or something equal, are making us regress as an intellectual beings.

Back to entitlement. What does this mean to you? It means being fair, right? Getting what you deserve. False. Entitlement is feeling that you are owed something that you did nothing for. You must be entitled to your parents paying for your college tuition right? They have plenty of money, they should do it. Some of us are lucky enough to have this cushion, like myself. The difference I see between myself and most people that have this luxury is appreciation. Did my parents have to do this? Absolutely not. My life is a breeze now that I have no debt to worry about. I would not have batted an eye if they had not chosen to do this for me and my brothers, however. What did I do to deserve thousands of dollars pumped into my education? Nothing, but this is how some see it and it angers me. Some students feel entitled. They deserve this. Wrong.

Entitlement extends much farther than just paying for college. As I learn more about my peers, the more I see it. Here's a short list of ideas or statements I see or hear a lot:

I deserve an A because this class is so hard.

I deserve new clothes because that's my parents' job.

I shouldn't have to work, that is also my parents' job.

I deserve your respect, even though I've been nothing but hateful, because I am different.

I deserve more money. After all, I go to class most of the time.

I deserve for my ideas to be used, although I really don't know if they are correct.

I deserve a good job because I passed these classes.

This is just a short list, but as I said before it extends to all facets of life. Religious views, political views, social opinions and personal choices are all guided by a sense of entitlement for so many people, and it is sickening.

Face it, life isn't fair. You don't get grades based on the difficulty of the class, you get grades based on performance in the eyes of someone more educated than you. Your parents' money isn't yours as well. They earned it by working hard, not by putting their hands out and praying for a miracle. You are not simply given respect, it is earned. You are not given power and clout, these are also earned. There is not easy way out to life, although so many seek it.

Why listen to me, though? Why on earth would a 19-year-old online know what he's talking about? I do because I have seen both sides of the issue and experienced them both. I have spent time at a school that I did not deserve. I have been given money for no reason and I have felt like I was owed more. I have material goods that most couldn't dream of. I have a handful of stamps on a passport for destinations I did not deserve to go. I have placed myself with very rich people and very entitled people. However, I grew up a different way, and do things differently now.

I grew up with a father that worked an extremely demanding and dangerous job so I could have food, clothes, a great house and money for college. My mom has worked a modest teaching job in a tiny town for almost 30 years to provide even more for me and my brothers. There were plenty of times that I knew money was tight and we had to go without a lot of things that other families didn't. I worked outside, in kitchens and whatever other jobs I could in high school to have some spare cash and put my old truck down the road. Even now, I am fully expected to work and support myself. If I don't have food to eat, gas in my tank, shoes on my feet or any other essential, that's on me. Even with that, I am given too much. I don't deserve all this, but my parents are always willing to give. If there is one thing I thank God for the most, it is that.

I am not doing this to brag about what I have or to tell everyone else I am a good person. I say it because I want this feeling of deserving so much to end. It is silly and detrimental to our society. Be thankful for what you have, and realize you didn't earn it unless you worked for it. The only thing you are given is the breath you breathe, and you can thank God for that. Don't feel entitled, but rather work for what you have and feel empowered.