I just got back from my shift at the hospital and I am a bit shaken up from an interaction I had with my last patient of the night. So I'm venting here a little but others may learn something.

One of the things I have noticed as a doctor is the extreme amounts of entitlement that some people have. This is coming from a country where you have to pay $40 to see your family doctor, but all emergency services are free so a lot of people abuse it.

Tonight a 24 year old single mum came in with a sore throat which was a quick diagnosis of tonsillitis which just requires a quick course of antibiotics and painkillers. Instead of seeing her family doctor the obese 'lady' called the free ambulance which picked her up from her house and drove her the 30 minutes into town. At the hospital she got to see the doctor for free, was given medications for free and then given a prescription which costs $5. Being a single mum the state is also paying to raise her child and provide herself with money for her rent and food for free.

The kicker? She tells me that we should have to take her back home in the ambulance or provide her with an $80 taxi for free because it was OUR fault she came into hospital. She refused to leave the department, refused to call a friend to pick her up, and refused the offer of a blanket and a seat to stay the night until morning so we could pay for a bus for her for free. She demanded more of my valuable time and then demanded to see the head of the department. When I laid out her options she then said it wasnt good enough and threatened to punch me in the face.

This girl has no agency of her own and it is a symptom of many people these days. She is like a child and has been brought up having everything being given to her for free to the extent where free money is shelled out to her to raise her kid and to take care of herself. If you are given everything then you will never learn how to take care of yourself.

The takeaway from this is that in order to be a man you must have power and that power comes from mastery of your own actions and personal situation. Work hard so you can support yourself even in times of crisis. Have an emergency fund you can pull on if shit ever hits the fan and you need to survive for at least a month if you lose your job for example. Cultivate friendships so they can help you and you can help them in times of need. Dont be a parasite like this woman. Have control of these forces in your life so you can control the way your life turns out.