Money Makes The World Go ‘Round
The word greed for some of us might liken itself to the unsavory evil godmother, Maleficent; in the fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty or Ebenezer Scrooge from the Brothers Grim fairy tale, A Christmas Carol. Today, perhaps we think of Gordon Gekko, the corporate raider from the movie, Wall Street. We might associate these unsavory villains as corporations that ferociously eat up small businesses like the video game, PacMan. Since the pandemic we are losing small businesses daily. According to the Federal Reserve Economists we lost less than had expected in 2019, approximately 200,000, while the number might be less than expected, many are losing hope of financial autonomy as the American Dream rapidly disappears.
When thinking about the word, ‘greed’, the rich are the reason for the problems of the planet and those starving in poverty. But is this true? What is greed? Some of us might think avarice has solely to do with money, yet when we look into greed as a personality trait we can see how it has more to do with a mindset than money.
While contemplating the current nature of greed and the desperate state of the world today, it felt as though I was falling into this abyss of many layers interlocking with the word, “selfish”. The greedy mind and the egotistical mind can be different sides of the same coin, and yet they have their own unique qualities. Selfish does not understand the balance of give and receive and greed is a corrosive hoarder, currently destroying global, economic sovereignty.
We can liken this never ending hunger for more to an uncontrollable virus, latching on to any host it can find, never being satisfied and always looking for another person to feed on. Greed breeds in the same way, isolating and supporting the individual’s survival while contributing to the breakdown of the majority and very fabric of a stable society. This avarice personality separates us from each other on every level, financially, racially, spiritually—even romantically and throws off social balance, creating economic chaos. The Haves get more and the Haves Not continually get less. Less quality food. Less quality medical care, education, less access to business networks that can meliorate the lives of many and with greed there can be no room for genuine love. Who loves the less fortunate? Certainly not the greedy!
Greed by its very nature separates us from each other. As humans we need unification and community. Connection is broken when greed dominates our societies and the opportunity for financial well roundedness becomes less available for the many outside the network of this private rich club for only a select few. But is it just the rich club that promotes rapacity?
On a biological basis greed is a ‘normal’ function of survival, yet we are social and cultural animals and we don’t live in a vacuum, however due to the many restrictions imposed since the pandemic we may feel suffocated creatively, romantically and held back by unemployment and financial constraints.
The constant state of feeling lack keeps the need for greed alive, not just for the rich but also for the impoverished and what is left of the middle class. And greed feeds on fear. While a certain level of yearning for more is normal and healthy, we are experiencing a different kind of covetousness today, one that is threatening our very existence. Our individual gluttony whether we are rich or poor has grown into a worldwide web of fear of “never enough”. Not rich enough. Not famous enough. Not a large enough T.V. or house. Not enough social media presence—-the endless cycle of never enough “things.” What is true of the global greed mindset is that we are losing many of our natural resources—namely our land to supply sufficient and healthy food for everyone and not just the select few. If the rapid ravaging of our planet continues the greedy won’t have anything to sustain them either—maybe this is why some are looking to live on the moon!
One thing we never seem to have enough of is: LOVE and as the lyrics to the song goes, “all you need is love.” But the greedy might sing another tune, “what’s love got to do with it”—anyway? Love is essential for our survival as individuals as well as our connection to our planet. Our planet will survive whether we loosen our parsimonious hands on it or not. Whether we love her or not. She will repair herself, but we cannot survive as a race without her.
Love is also something that does not seem to be factored into the necessity for a sustainable society. Political parties disagree on what greed is; what is need and what is actual climate change. Greed thinks “business as usual” is the protocol, but science would beg to differ.
Whether we are rich or poor, if this viral “me” society continues on the trajectory of not taking others wellbeing into consideration our global family will destroy itself and every day will feel like a state of emergency where we scramble for every resource, whether it is food to sustain us physically or to unconsciously grab at the overstimulation from our devices. The hunger for more and more information is also a form of greed. Our brains get thrown into a fight or flight mindset as we seek the adrenalin rush soon to turn into anxiety. We are not wired to handle that much intellectual overload that bombards us in the same way our stomachs cannot tolerate more than a small portion of food at one time. Yet we continually overstuff our brains and bellies with oftentimes harmful information and unhealthy food. We cling and grasp for everything from the next superfood to hoarding toilet paper which only supports our continued sense of lack.
If greed is about money how much do we need to feel safe? Free? Happy? Successful? Powerful? Respected? (Loved?)
Can the greedy know love? They know how to covet and love is not something to be craved or held on to.
When I set out to write this piece on Greed I didn’t want it to be another factual, literal or historical commentary on what we already know about the the meaning of this word. I wanted to know how it made people feel. Every time I asked someone, what one word comes to mind when you think of the the meaning of, ‘greed,’ the answer turned into a lengthy conversation which mushroomed into covering every topic of news media from climate change, the pandemic; vaccines and celebrity billionaires.
There are several boxes that can be opened when looking deeply into the meanings behind the foundation of this country’s inability to “share” but also in the destruction of our precious and fragile planet. Greed is predominantly for food, money, possessions, power, fame, status, attention, admiration and sex, which sums up the current and past state of our society in many parts of the world today. With the addiction to the internet, instagram and facebook it does not take long to see that the aforementioned words to describe greed are splattered about on our devices, restaurants, kiosks indoors as well as on many street corner monitors. We are bombarded, and enticed into the subliminal seduction for billionaire status, admiration and most of all reinforcing narcissism and even sociopathic behaviors. Can greed have a conscience? Can we see greed in ourselves?
Is there a solution? Yes! We can choose to not be a taker and a hoarder. We don’t need to blame the government, religion or society. We don’t need to blame anybody. Perhaps the individuals who are the greediest of all are oblivious to their selfishness. Yet in their grasping and clinging they are never satiated. Always hungering for more. More of everything. In the end we who love and know “there is enough to go around…” whether it is resources to sustain the human race or love, we will never go hungry while the greedy monsters on their last days will most likely be found either on some cold and dry planet without water, sun, love or natural oxygen. They maybe be found at the bottom of some dry well of their own creation.
And those who practiced sharing of themselves and their resources may be be on that planet with the ones who did not share. However, they will know something the greedy will never know: they will know the profound feeling of not longing to have more than they need or to be anything or anyone other than who they are. Happy in their skin and happy in the world and not needing acknowledgment from a society that will never be able to make them feel any better or richer than how they can make themselves feel—even without the jets; the caviar or false power.
We can have a hearty material world, economic freedom and a healthy social capitalism and still have enough of everything to go around. We can feed ourselves and the less fortunate. There can be balance. That balance is not contingent on government, religion or the mandates of society. It is about who we decide to be every day. Can we share? Can we give without conditions? Can we love our neighbor without judging them whether they are rich or poor or somewhere in between? Can we just accept each other without a measuring stick of “economic value”? We all have a choice in how to be every day for true wealth consciousness is an abundant state of mind and heart.
When the day comes that we can look beyond our Darwinian animal side to hoard in order to survive we can reduce societal conflict and that is and always has been the goal of society.
The laws of nature allow ample supplies for our needs. Greed is not a need. Sharing resources; sharing our stories—our individual heritage and traditions—unites us. That is true wealth. This sharing, these stories is what makes us interesting!
Once Upon A Time, not too long ago most of us can remember a day or a moment when life seemed a touch more fragrant; a touch more promising. We might have still rushed around with our endless over scheduled mask-free days and important lists of things to get done, but it seemed less chaotic, slower, less stressful. It looked more beautiful. But was it? Whenever we get nostalgic the past always has a sentimental bitter sweetness to it when actually we have the opportunity right now to create a different day for ourselves and the world. The sun always shines even amid the pandemonium of this seemingly endless pandemic and the flowers still bloom despite the continued destruction of our planet and if we take notice we will appreciate all that is around us—even a cold wind slapping our face we can feel grateful for. There is great wisdom and wealth in the wind! How lucky are we to be alive and a part of a wonderful world no matter the global crises we are currently embroiled in. Observing the wealth of nature is still free.