Greed - what is it?
In reality, there are many vices that poison human existence. But one of the most insidious and sometimes even terrible is greed. It causes greed, anger and self-interest in a person. But at the same time, it is acquisitiveness that causes suffering from unfulfilled desires. Greed prevents a person from becoming happy. It leads away from true values. It is difficult to overcome; it takes away the will and desire for kindness. This vice sows discord and abuse.
What vices does greed create?
Greed – what kind of mental “illness” is this? And what other vices does it cause in humans? First of all, greed entails self-interest. This is an insatiable desire to benefit from everything. A person does not even disdain the troubles of others. There is no place in the soul for compassion or pity, there is only the desire to gain benefit. But, as you know, happiness is when you give, not when you receive. That is why self-interest has never brought true peace to anyone.
Another vice that accompanies greed is envy. It depletes and “eats” a person from the inside. Don't forget about greed. Reluctance to share repels a greedy person. In his quest to save all his savings, he remains lonely. It is these vices that are the reason that throughout the history of mankind, blood has been shed over gold and other riches.
How and in what ways does greed manifest itself?
- Professional activity. It is difficult to cooperate with a greedy person. Any activity is a relationship with people; a greedy person cares only about himself.
- Relationship. Because of greed, a person can ruin relationships with people close to him.
- Personal growth. Excessive greed can become mania and overshadow all the good principles in a person.
- Psychological health. The feeling of greed causes overstrain of a person’s psyche and can negatively affect his health.
Symptoms of acquisitiveness
There is perhaps no more painful vice than greed. Synonyms for this word - “acquisitiveness”, “gluttony” and “greed”, completely complement the current picture. Sometimes the pettiness of such people reaches the extreme. A greedy person always carefully calculates the cost of even the most insignificant purchase. He will not leave the cash register without counting all the change. And if there is not enough money there, he will create a scandal and take it away at any cost.
Greedy people talk about money all the time. They complain about their shortage. They envy and spoil those who earn more than them. Moreover, such a person may well occupy a good position and be wealthy. Greedy people buy the cheapest clothes, food, they never spend on entertainment. Even if they have a hobby, it is always associated with the idea of saving money. For example, a person prone to money-grubbing can buy a dacha, so he can provide himself with food and not spend money, or he sews clothes, although at the same time altering old trousers and sweaters.
Greedy people will not miss the opportunity to get money illegally; they always take bribes and do not disdain blackmail and theft. Such a person will constantly demand to borrow money from his relatives, but he will not give it back. This constantly provokes scandals. At the same time, he can steal from a relative or friend who lives worse than himself. Acquisitiveness can be taken to extremes. Greedy people will not disdain to search garbage barrels, they hope to find there something that will allow them to save money, for example, old furniture, clothes or metal that can be sold for money.
Causes of "gluttony"
Greed – is it a habit or a mental illness? One thing is for sure, the problems of money-grubbing have very long roots, to be more precise, they grow from childhood. If a child grew up in a poor family and was constantly denied purchases, citing the lack of money as an excuse, then, most likely, it is material values that will become the determining factor in his adult life. He will rely on the experience of his parents. And to any request for a purchase he will answer: “No money!” He only gains confidence when there are bills in his wallet. But one problem remains: a greedy person does not have a feeling of satiety; he always has little money.
Another reason for the emergence of acquisitiveness in a person is a clear family pattern of behavior. If mom or dad constantly put money in the sheets, saved on everything, avoided spending and always tried to grab something for free, the child adopts this behavior, considering it the only correct one.
What's wrong with greed?
So what harm does greed bring to a person? The meaning of the word implies obsession with money. What does this mean? Any insanity is detrimental to the psyche. The personality suffers and is distorted. It is destroyed and degraded. Moral values are replaced by material ones. But as our ancestors noted, money cannot bring happiness. They are only a means to achieving what you want, but not the final goal itself. Accumulating a large amount of finances causes fears and brings worries. A person dooms himself to life “in a golden cage.” His thoughts are spinning in circles. The only thing he cares about is where to find even more money and not lose what he has saved. He is constantly afraid of being robbed.
Such people are not able to give. In addition, they show greed in sales, making money even on this. A greedy person takes loans. He falls into financial slavery. Oddly enough, he doesn't initially think about percentages. For him, a loan is a way to make a purchase without spending what he has already saved. But tragedy strikes when bills have to be paid. The paradox of greed is that a person does not become richer, on the contrary, he becomes poorer. After all, poverty is not when there is little money, it is when there is constantly not enough money.
Causes of greed
It is important to understand that a self-sufficient person is never greedy. He sets adequate goals for himself and always has a clear motivation for every action and decision. He knows that money is not a goal, but a means to achieve goals, so he does not behave stingily or stingily. If he manages to earn a large fortune, he does not seek to surround himself with luxury, but invests his funds wisely. Such a person cannot become greedy, since his inner world is complete, and he always has a worthy goal in life.
Most often, greed develops for one of two main reasons:
- Dissatisfaction or feelings of inferiority
. The cause of this condition may be gaps in education, serious failures, psychological trauma or complexes associated with physical disabilities. A person begins to look for a way to restore the integrity of his inner world and comes to the conclusion that only money can help. His thinking is transformed, and he begins to focus exclusively on getting rich. - Competitiveness and competition
. From school, we are taught that we should be better than others: get higher grades, achieve better results in physical education classes, and even grow faster than our classmates. This is how the child develops a stereotype that everyone around him is his competition, and he must constantly strive to “outplay” them and earn more.
This perception is reinforced by nature, which provides for competition in natural conditions. But this mechanism was formed in conditions of a serious shortage of resources. Today, every person can get everything they need for life without unnecessary struggle. We have the opportunity to work, buy necessary goods, use the services of modern medicine and other benefits of civilization. However, any of the above reasons can lead to a person becoming a greedy person.
Consequences of money-grubbing
Greed and greed are addictions. Of course, money-grubbing cannot but affect family relationships. A greedy person always tries to cut costs. He saves on everything and everyone. Trying to accumulate as much money as possible, he deprives his children of clothing and food. But it’s one thing to save money for a new home, cutting the family budget, and quite another thing to save money just for the sake of its quantity. People suffering from acquisitiveness do not have specific goals. They simply keep their finances, denying themselves and their loved ones everything.
Greedy people almost always have problems in relationships with others. Nobody wants to deal with them. Such a person has no friends. The team doesn't like him. A person suffering from greed will never chip in on gifts for colleagues. But at the same time, he will always attend dinners that others have dumped on. And he will be offended if they don’t let him in. After all, it is beneficial to celebrate, as they say, for free.
What is greed, who is a greedy person?
Greed is a quality whose owners value receiving material wealth above all else and want to have more money or other valuables. They constantly try to get material wealth, and in their free time they think too much about them. They are reluctant to part with what they have received, even if they have a lot of money, they can remain frugal and tight-fisted.
A greedy person is the owner of an active mind. The main focus is making money. This negative trait is widespread, as evidenced by the large number of synonyms.
In religious texts, this trait is called sin, it is one of the 8 mortals in Orthodoxy, 7 mortals in Catholicism. This negative attitude is due to the fact that in the lives of greedy people there are too many empty worries, internal anger develops, great importance is attached to material things, while spiritual development becomes secondary. A person experiences too much fear of losing property, can become very angry at competitors, begin to harm them, and sometimes commit a crime (theft, threats, murder, kidnapping of relatives).
Although greed is most often associated with material values, there is also the concept of spiritual greed
People for whom this trait is characteristic strive to receive love, attention, and recognition. Thinking and activity are aimed at obtaining intangible benefits
Greed is a sin in religion, but not a mental disorder in most cases. However, sometimes it is combined with any mental disorders and develops because of them. In such situations, specialist intervention is necessary.
How to overcome greed?
Is it possible to overcome greed? The meaning of this vice makes it clear that a person has false values and guidelines. Money is everything to him! But in reality, people begin their pursuit of material values when they cannot find happiness. Therefore, in order to free yourself from acquisitiveness, you need to understand that true wealth is spiritual. Happiness is within us, and a person can only know it by sharing. It does not depend on the amount of money in the account and gold on the neck, ears and fingers. Generosity has always been a counterbalance to greed. Only by giving something can you make your life easier.
To get rid of money-grubbing, you need to stop collecting bills and coins. Money should be spent on things that truly bring you pleasure. Only by finding your purpose in life can you experience peace. In order to feel truly happy, you don’t need money at all.
Psychological origins of greed
Despite the fact that the history of money as a means of exchanging various goods, benefits and services began relatively recently, greed was familiar to primitive people. Humanity began to fall into this state en masse when it was faced with the problem of a shortage of food and other vital resources. If at this stage you try to draw some conclusion, you can involuntarily come to the conclusion that a person is prone to greed at the genetic level, so consciousness is not able to control it. If we take this into account, it becomes clear why greed can manifest itself at a very early age - from the moment a child develops self-awareness.
Adolescence is the only time when a person, being not yet fully formed, can control the feeling of greed.
This control is facilitated by purely youthful maximalism, seeing everything that happens around only in black and white. He makes the teenager understand that greed is a negative quality in a young team, where almost everyone does not stand out for their financial situation. The desire for respect from peers makes a teenager need to hide his greed, so as not to get out of the company. This effect cannot be maintained for all subsequent years of life.
Greed can be compared to the sexual instinct. Their striking similarity is that they can remain deep in the subconscious for a long time, not bother a person for many years, but then, acquiring new, sometimes very perverted forms, they can ruin his life.
The most innocent manifestation of greed is the desire for high earnings, even if this is objectively beyond one’s strength. The desire to receive more and more, under the auspices of ensuring a decent standard of living for yourself and your family, at some point can get out of control, turning into mania. Often, workaholism is also connected to this, which can literally drive a person to the grave.
Submitting to a feeling of uncontrollable greed, some people are capable of consciously committing crimes aimed at the safety of other people's property, and sometimes the life of another person. In order to supposedly improve their quality of life, especially greedy representatives of the human species enter into arranged marriages, break off relations with close relatives and friends, and refuse custody of parents who, due to circumstances, cannot fully care for themselves.
