The Seven Deadly Sins " AVARICE "
Traditional name: AVARICE
Better known today as: Greed; Materialism
A free market has proved to be the most effective way to make a nation prosperous. The profit motive, which medieval Christianity distrusted, is not the sin of greed. In fact, when Gordon Gecko proclaims that "Greed is good", he's merely proclaiming (though for a bad purpose) this fact of life.
We get into sin when we equate our worth as people with our financial assets. There is no reason to go without the basics that you need to live a healthy life. But today, entire cultures (I won't say which ones) define your worth in terms of your possessions and earning power, and reject you if you're not making money. On my psychiatry rotation, I was shown examples and told that "A ______ man who fails in business can expect to be completely rejected even by his own family." There are enormous profits to be made in i*****l businesses, where "business people" kill each other as part of the job. We all hear stories of c***dren being killed for a jacket or piece of jewelry. This is yet another root of crime -- both white-collar and street-crime. And it makes people miserable.
I went to college with a lot of really rich, really spoiled boys and girls. Believe me, their parents weren't doing them a favor.
MY COMMENT
Greed is defined 'as an excessive desire to acquire or possess more (especially more material wealth) than one needs or deserves'. Scavenging and hoarding of materials or objects, theft and robbery, especially by means of v******e, trickery, or manipulation of authority are all actions that may be inspired by greed.
If I have to relate the sin 'greed' to the current world scenario, there are so many instances that come to my mind.
To start off with, look at the corruption index. India ranks 84th in the world, which is not very surprising. The use of public funds for private gain is common. The misuse of power, position and privilege is widespread. Corruption seems to be a fact that affects all sections of society. From politicians to a delivery boy, everyone is corrupted today.
On one side, India looks like one of the most promising economies of the world. But with the corruption index growing, it seems difficult. We are so habituated to all this, that we fail to see the truth, the reality of India's poverty: that 830 million Indians make less than 20 rupees (A50¢) a day; that if you drive 30 minutes outside the big cities, you confront living conditions in the villages that are almost mediaeval; and that while the scourge of starvation may no longer haunt India, millions, including 2000 to 3000 c***dren every day, die a slow death from malnutrition.
Yes I agree that India is shining, with the economy booming and sharemarkers soaring, but this one aspect of India simply cannot be ignored.
Even worldwide corruption is rampant. There are instances of British MPs fiddling expenses and pocketing money paid by hardworking taxpayers. Worldwide, bribery alone is estimated to involve over 1 trillion US dollars annually.
Along with that, terrorists, which seems to be the new religion, are greedy as well. They crave for power, fame and overall destruction of peace.
There can also be an argument to this sin. Various Businessmen who are flourishing in their businesses today like J.R.D Tata, Dhirubhai Ambani, Subhash Goenka et all were greedy for fame, power and riches. But there is a huge dissimilarity between greed and ambition.
To quote Erich Fromm's words "Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction."
Take Care :)
Better known today as: Greed; Materialism
A free market has proved to be the most effective way to make a nation prosperous. The profit motive, which medieval Christianity distrusted, is not the sin of greed. In fact, when Gordon Gecko proclaims that "Greed is good", he's merely proclaiming (though for a bad purpose) this fact of life.
We get into sin when we equate our worth as people with our financial assets. There is no reason to go without the basics that you need to live a healthy life. But today, entire cultures (I won't say which ones) define your worth in terms of your possessions and earning power, and reject you if you're not making money. On my psychiatry rotation, I was shown examples and told that "A ______ man who fails in business can expect to be completely rejected even by his own family." There are enormous profits to be made in i*****l businesses, where "business people" kill each other as part of the job. We all hear stories of c***dren being killed for a jacket or piece of jewelry. This is yet another root of crime -- both white-collar and street-crime. And it makes people miserable.
I went to college with a lot of really rich, really spoiled boys and girls. Believe me, their parents weren't doing them a favor.
MY COMMENT
Greed is defined 'as an excessive desire to acquire or possess more (especially more material wealth) than one needs or deserves'. Scavenging and hoarding of materials or objects, theft and robbery, especially by means of v******e, trickery, or manipulation of authority are all actions that may be inspired by greed.
If I have to relate the sin 'greed' to the current world scenario, there are so many instances that come to my mind.
To start off with, look at the corruption index. India ranks 84th in the world, which is not very surprising. The use of public funds for private gain is common. The misuse of power, position and privilege is widespread. Corruption seems to be a fact that affects all sections of society. From politicians to a delivery boy, everyone is corrupted today.
On one side, India looks like one of the most promising economies of the world. But with the corruption index growing, it seems difficult. We are so habituated to all this, that we fail to see the truth, the reality of India's poverty: that 830 million Indians make less than 20 rupees (A50¢) a day; that if you drive 30 minutes outside the big cities, you confront living conditions in the villages that are almost mediaeval; and that while the scourge of starvation may no longer haunt India, millions, including 2000 to 3000 c***dren every day, die a slow death from malnutrition.
Yes I agree that India is shining, with the economy booming and sharemarkers soaring, but this one aspect of India simply cannot be ignored.
Even worldwide corruption is rampant. There are instances of British MPs fiddling expenses and pocketing money paid by hardworking taxpayers. Worldwide, bribery alone is estimated to involve over 1 trillion US dollars annually.
Along with that, terrorists, which seems to be the new religion, are greedy as well. They crave for power, fame and overall destruction of peace.
There can also be an argument to this sin. Various Businessmen who are flourishing in their businesses today like J.R.D Tata, Dhirubhai Ambani, Subhash Goenka et all were greedy for fame, power and riches. But there is a huge dissimilarity between greed and ambition.
To quote Erich Fromm's words "Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction."
Take Care :)
11 years ago