Greed

Greed is a fascinating and conflicted word, defined as a solid and selfish desire for things like status, power, and money. In some regions around the globe, greed is considered taboo; in fact, certain religions even punish their believers for the simple thought of greed entering their minds. In Christianity, one of the leading global religions, greed is considered one of the seven deadly sins. However, why is a desire such as greed considered to be malevolent? 

Greed is considered an appalling and beguiling emotion because it may promote illegal activities to pursue money and power, such as robberies or insider trading within firms. This side of greed can also lead to the mass exploitation of men and women. For example, when it began, The East India Company was merely a trading company hoping to profit. Nevertheless, as the company gained a foothold in the Indian subcontinent, its greed grew, and it started to exploit Indians to such an extent for its hunger for money. As a result, the native citizens of India turned into slaves and were forced to bow down to the company's monopolistic power.

So does this mean that greed is a negative emotion which only causes evil? The answer to that is no; like a coin, greed has another side to it.

It is on the same concept as greed that all capitalistic economies run, which aims to make a profit. It is on this very idea with greed as its base that the United States of America emerged as one of the world's leading economies and greatest superpower. The bygone view of greed is forced into our brains since our childhood through institutions like schools, which make us believe that being greedy is impetuous and can lead to us having rancorous and inclement lives. In reality, this is a plot to make us obsequious towards all our society's existing restrictions and structures. To truly escape the modern-day rat race we are all stuck in, we have to be greedy, but our morals prevent us, but why that is a question to ponder and think on.

From Sam Bellamy to Ivar the Boneless, all successful men in history to present-day politicians retain with themselves power, wealth and status due to one reason which is greed, for, without it, they would have no ambition to work and no incentive to succeed they would be faceless, nameless people in a crowd. Due to this very reason, the lack of greed - no socialist or communist economy has been prosperous over a long period for without any desire to be affluent and triumphant a society starts to crumble from the inside.

To conclude, yes, being overly greedy with the lack of self-control can lead a man to a life of crime and law-breaking as well as the exploitation of others. However, this does not mean we should adopt a nihilistic approach towards greed; instead, we should allow it to motivate us, help us do better and support us in making a better life for ourselves. Greed is the panacea to poverty, and that is why we must be greedy for ourselves; otherwise, we would be like a cat on a hot tin roof anxious to escape mediocrity but stuck in life's vicious cycle of poverty.