Greed

"We are in danger of destroying ourselves by our greed and stupidity." ~Stephen Hawking

"In a country well-governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of." ~ Confucius

What Causes Greed?

The Free Dictionary defines greed as "an inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs, especially with respect to material wealth."

The issue that makes people devoted to pursuing more than they need is an internal emptiness and lack of self-worth, which results from self-abandonment. When people abandon themselves, they feel alone, unlovable, separate and disconnected. Because they are disconnected from their own soul and from their spiritual guidance, they do not feel a sense of connection and oneness with others and the planet. Without this sense of oneness, they attempt to fill their emptiness with more and more, with no caring about the affect their greed has on others.

Every day we are bombarded with the effects greed is having in our society and on our planet. I find it very sad that people bypass compassion in favor of greed, and that they turn their backs on the results of their greed.

The Current Effects of Greed

Health

The health in the US and in many other countries is abysmal. The rates of cancer, heart disease, autoimmune diseases and diabetes – all degenerative diseases - are constantly climbing. Food allergies, autism, ADHD, and mental disorders such as bi-polar disorder, depression and schizophrenia are also hugely on the rise. Much of this is the result of the so-called 'food' that the processed food industry spends billions advertising.

Between processed foods and industrial factory farming practices – CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations) – we are bombarded with pesticides, hormones, preservatives, GMOs, and devitalized produce that is having a devastating effect on the world's health. All of this is due to greed. The pursuit of huge profits far outweighs any concern regarding the effects of these products on the health of the world.

Same with big pharma. They spend billions advertising drugs that have horrendous side effects – all because of greed.

If the people running these big corporations were connected within, with Spirit and with others – if they had a sense of oneness with all living beings – they could not live with themselves selling what they sell. They can do it only because they are completely disconnected from the Oneness that unites us all. 

Poverty

We all know that the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, and the middle class is getting decimated. The culprit here, too, is greed.

Many large corporations are forcing their employees to work on holidays under the threat of being fired if they don't. In these big businesses, making more money is far more important to them than supporting families on a family holiday. The employees are forced to work on holidays rather than be with their families because they can't afford the risk of losing their job – even though their pay is so low.

I recently spoke with a friend of mine about this. Years back, he and his family ran a very large grocery chain. When I asked him if they made their workers work on Thanksgiving, he said, "Oh no! In fact, they had the whole four days off."

Crime

Poverty breeds crime. If more of the rich were caring rather than greedy, they could do much to prevent crime.

Pollution and Climate change

Worldwide greed is taking a huge toll on our entire planet. How long can we continue to pollute our beautiful planet before we reach a place of no return?

Climate change is obvious to everyone – individuals and scientists - and the only people who deny it are the people who have something to lose financially by attending to it. This level of greed is truly heartbreaking.

Government

Elections are bought by those who are motivated by power and greed, and far too many politicians are self-serving rather than serving the people who elect them – which is why we have lost faith in government.

The level of greed on our planet is indicative of the level of disconnection with self, others and Spirit. Without the experience of Oneness that comes from connection, greed will continue to wreak havoc.