This document discusses the issue of greed and its causes. It defines greed as an excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs. Some causes of greed mentioned include the dazzle of power, money, and letting others control one's judgments. While our desires are insatiable, our resources are limited. Greed stems from mistakenly associating pleasure with happiness and pursuing it endlessly. The document distinguishes between the hunger of a greedy person who has much versus one who has little. It concludes that we should focus on being instead of having more by cultivating compassion and self-discipline rather than pampering ourselves with pleasure.
7. You can have or be anything you
want, but . . .
There are two reasons for this.
First, our resources are limited. After all, we have
only so much time, life, money, and energy to work
with. Second, our appetite is insatiable. That is, no
matter what we become, gain, or achieve, we want
more. Our appetite is like seawater; the more we
drink, the thirstier we become. Since we cannot have
everything we want, frustration and unhappiness are
unavoidable, unless we learn how to curb our greed.
8. Why are we so greedy?
Possessions can bring us
pleasure. And pleasure
can become addictive. If
we mistakenly associate
pleasure with happiness,
it's not surprising that we
pursue it without end.
Another reason for greed
is fear.
9. What is the difference between the hunger of
a greedy man who has much and the hunger
of one who has little?
A greedy person
cannot be rich. The
poor are not those
who don't have
much, but are
those who crave
much.
10. Greed is GOOD
• Because we cannot have
EVERYTHING we want, we
need to focus on what's
important in our lives and
we can put out the flames
of greed by concentrating
on BEING more instead of
HAVING more. We can be
more compassionate,
helpful, nurturing,
responsible, self-
disciplined, and
courageous. Instead of
pampering ourselves with
pleasure, we can make
ourselves stronger, better,
and happier prioritize.