Overcoming Greed: Some Things to Keep in Mind
This week’s video is about greed, more specifically, overcoming greed. It is partially taken from an article by Alfred Adler.
The definition of greed in the Miriam Webster dictionary is…
…a selfish and excessive desire for more of something (such as money) than is needed. It is motivated by naked ambition.
We do not only mean…
…the form of greed that expresses itself in the hoarding of money. There is another, the more general form of greed that expresses itself as a reluctance to give pleasure to other people.
Such people are avaricious in their attitude toward society and toward every other individual. The avaricious person builds a wall about himself or herself to keep their treasure safe.
Almost everyone in today’s society shows signs of greed
The best the average person can do is to hide it, or hide it behind exaggerated generosity, which amounts to nothing more than giving of alms, an attempt, through gestures of generosity, to bolster one’s self-esteem at the expense of others.
Let’s look at business life
People in the business world may have little concern for the welfare of competitors, or much interest in the social welfare of others.
Some business practices are actually based on the principle that the advantage of one employee or competitor can result only from the disadvantage of another. This is a win-lose view of the world.
Even those who have the best of intentions must, under the pressures of the business world, protect themselves as far as possible.
It is often overlooked that this personal protection (greed) is usually accompanied by damage to someone else.
We point these matters out…
…because they explain the difficulty of exercising social feeling under the pressure of business competition.
Some solution must be found so that the cooperation of every individual toward the commonwealth will be made easier instead of more difficult.
Use it or Lose It – Some thoughts on overcoming greed
I must recognize my own selfishness.
I must be generous; this doesn’t require being rich.
I list things I am thankful for.
I stop feeding greed.
When I find greed or selfishness creeping into my life, I rinse and repeat the steps above.
When to Use It:
Whenever you feel the need for overcoming greed.
What Do You Think?
Have you ever been greedy or found the need for overcoming greed? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
Until next time, behave and as always…Prime Your Pump!
–Howie
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Thanks for these practical tips to overcoming greed. The last time i was/will be greedy was yesterday August 22, 2020 in Jesus Name. So i wanted more for a services even after initially agreeing to a sum and in the end i lost out altogether.
Greed indeed destroys and ultimately leads to death both in time and eternity.
There is much pleasure in helping others . It does not always require a money amount. It can be in the form of a regular food donation to a local food bank. It can take the form of visiting sick family and friends in the hospital . It may involve bringing a meal to someone in need or volunteering in the community. You always receive more than you have given.
Good afternoon Howie:
I had to watch this video twice, plus go through the printed version several times. I never before heard that being selfish is better than being greedy. If my interpretation is correct, I suppose the dividing line can be expressed thusly: Selfishness is the accumulation of wealth in such a way that it does not detrimentally affect others. Greed is the accumulation of wealth such that the rest of the world be damned because I don’t care about the effects. I admit that I am wealthy – by careful saving, not overspending, proper financial management, and not being extravagant. My actions have not negatively affected any other person. Unless you count the car dealer that loses business because I’m immune to advertising and don’t feel the need to buy a new truck every 5 years. My 1993 version suits me well.
I’m so glad I no longer work in the cut-throat aerospace business. Lockheed and Boeing are arch rivals, and the competition becomes intense when bidding on a long term billion dollar government contract. I’ve never been involved in this level of dealing, but from what I’ve heard, it can be an intense, no holds barred, downright street fight. On one project, Boeing had a contract to advise, suggest and report problems to the government program office, while Lockheed held the contract for actual assembly, testing, and launch of the rocket. We stonewalled Boeing wherever possible. Definitely greedy, we wanted to keep them in the dark, and we wanted them to look bad. After the rocket and its payload successfully launched, I felt the muse of bad poetry slapping me on the side of the head, and composed a (really bad) poem that poked fun at Boeing, then sent it out internally via email to the people in our division. I later learned the poem made it out of our home plant to other Lockheed facilities in Texas and Alabama. Nobody ever gave me any grief about sending it. I wish I still had a copy, but I do remember my closing couplet:
“and we are left pondering the unanswerable question…
Why is there Boeing?”
Now, you talk about being generous to other people. I hope you are referring to helping out someone you know who is in a difficult situation, and not the formal “charities” that send out junk mail begging for money, or who advertise on TV. How much of their budget is spent on these activities vs. how much actually helps people. I never give to these types of charities – they are money grubbing self-eating watermelons that exist only to perpetuate their own existence.
A few weeks ago, my wife and I chauffeured some friends from the Central Valley up to Sacramento. Charles suffered a (non-life threatening) aneurysm in his brain, and his local doctor thought it might burst. Surgery then became required, which needed a specialist, hence the trip. We intended to stay in a hotel, with Charles’ wife remaining in the hospital room on a cot or sleep chair. Surgery completely successful (we looked at the scans), but to be on the safe side, the doctor recommend he stay overnight in ICU. No space in ICU for a cot or the sleep chair for his wife, so we offered to sub-let half our hotel room to her at no charge. She didn’t want to, but eventually reluctantly agreed. I also explained that this was not the first time I had sublet a room to a lady not my wife, and I knew exactly what to do. All that needed to be worked out was the morning bathroom schedule amongst the three of us. Charles got discharged the next afternoon, so we packed him up and drove down the valley on highway 99 to their house. This is the kind of charity I do not mind – helping out a friend who needs it. More than willing to do it. So what, it cost me a hotel room, some fast food and two tanks of gas. An insignificant amount in the grand scheme of life.
Wow! I draft these replies out in Word, and now I’m on my second page. I better stop.