Entitlement is the antithesis of gratitude. A subtle but corrosive dynamic arises when entitlement displaces appreciation - particularly within modern relational paradigms. Many women today unconsciously expect men to provide for them as though it were a preordained right. This presumption often undermines gratitude - rendering the giver's efforts invisible and unacknowledged.
Consider the scenario of emotional overwhelm - a woman, ensnared by her feelings, retreats inward to process her turmoil. Meanwhile, her man quietly assumes responsibility for their shared practical obligations, ensuring the stability of their lives without pausing to tend to his own needs. This act of silent fortitude frequently escapes her notice - not because it lacks merit - but because entitlement blinds her to its value. She interprets his efforts not as a gift but as an expected duty. She may even resent his perceived absence in her emotional world - overlooking the fact that his labour has created the very space within which she can freely process her feelings without being weighed down by external pressures.
For many men, love often finds expression not in grand declarations but in quiet and steadfast duty - silent affirmations of care that too often go unnoticed.
An emotionally mature man can sustain that for a while, recognising his woman is down, and not expecting anything in return; understanding the natural emotional highs and lows that women go through. If however ingratitude becomes the norm, there’s only these possibilities eventually:
1. He has enough self esteem to honestly acknowledge his woman doesn’t value him enough, and moves onto someone else that does.
2. He puts up with it because his self esteem is insufficient, which causes his woman to lose respect for him even further. But he stays anyway because he has no other options, at least until his women decides she’s going.
3. He starts off at (2), gradually becomes disillusioned and starts migrating towards (1), but in the process of doing so his woman regains respect for him and the relationship can be saved.