Why are some people so shallow?

We've all met shallow individuals. They seem to have no depth, no underlying thought processes, no dedication, or no concern for others' well-being. They seem to skim along the surface of life, focusing mainly on themselves, their immediate comforts, their wishes and desires and how to obtain them.

They judge everything by appearance, by monetary value or by its capacity to useful to themselves. "That sports car is stylish, expensive and it matches the color of my eyes. I want it."

They use other people as a means to accomplish their desires, or as window-dressing to enhance their own importance. "This is my husband, the lawyer. He's going to buy me that new sports car. You know, the one that matches my eyes."

Why are they like that?

A small percentage actually have a low I.Q. This is the only way they are capable of relating to the world around them. They will impress others as being shallow individuals until the day they die.

Others can claim no such ready excuse. They were thoroughly spoiled as children. Their parents led them to believe they were the center of the universe and so, they still feel entitled to the biggest and the best of everything. They have grown up physically, but not emotionally. The universe, in their eyes, still revolves around them.

If they were fortunate enough to spend their teen-age years as attractive, well-off, youngsters able to buy attention and friends, while still being the apple of their parents' eye, the delusion of superiority hovered over them into adulthood. However, sooner or later, most of these shallow, self-centered people are in for a rude awakening.

After marriage, when a spouse tires of taking orders and of waiting on them hand and foot, they will encounter reality with a crash that will soon topple their comfortable world. The spoiled darlings will have to begin taking someone else's needs and wishes into consideration or their married life will become extremely unpleasant.

In the normal course of events, when a family comes along, the necessity of cooking, cleaning and changing soiled nappies will remove any illusions of superiority that may have been lingering. It is impossible to be shallow and self-absorbed and still be an effective parent.

How much better it would have been if their parents had had the wisdom to give them a normal childhood, delivering discipline when necessary, and refusing to grant every wish. As the young people physically grew to adulthood, they would have developed emotionally at the same time. They would have learned to share, to consider the well-being of others and to gradually grow in their ability to accept responsibility.

Emotional growth is a little like the childhood disease of mumps. If it's experienced at the normal time, during the childhood years, it may be annoying but usually not too serious. However, if it must be tolerated during adulthood, it will be more painful, serious, and may have unpleasant consequences.

Those who knowingly spoil their children, "because I want to give them a better life than I've had," may be doing just the opposite. You have become a mature, caring, responsible parent and spouse. Are you raising these children in such a way that you can guarantee that they will turn out just as well as you have? Think it over carefully.