The Punishment For Greed
- Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
- The admin formerly known as Scott
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The Punishment For Greed
We do not need to purposefully punish greedy people. Greed is often its own punishment. Greedy people generally make self-destructive decisions out of greed.
We usually do not refer to healthy, self-beneficial desires as "greed." We usually only call desires "greed" when they inspire people to be self-harmfully indulgent or unwise.
What do you think? Do you want greedy people to be punished? Do you agree with me that greed is its own punishment?
"The mind is a wonderful servant but a terrible master."
I believe spiritual freedom (a.k.a. self-discipline) manifests as bravery, confidence, grace, honesty, love, and inner peace.
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Re: The Punishment For Greed
Greed is an emotive term which when predicted of another person calls on other people to cast aspersion on the person described as greedy.Scott wrote:When asked what the punishment should be for greed, I responded with the following:
We do not need to purposefully punish greedy people. Greed is often its own punishment. Greedy people generally make self-destructive decisions out of greed.
Let's talk about money.
Why is a person greedy for money supposed to be despicable in the eyes of others?
When I examine myself for the why, I must honestly admit it is because others feel that the greedy person is depriving the others, them, from making money themselves; or the greedy person does not share with others his greed money.
Another reason why the greedy person is despicable is because he worships money, he has no interest in life but making and hoarding money; while universal wisdom of mankind or everyone else believes that money is just a means to having a good life.
I think Bill Gates was very greedy until he learned that he should contribute something of his vast fortune for the benefit of mankind, so if I am correct, he now gives money for the educational upliftment of less fortunate people; but he is still the richest person in the world today at this very moment(?).
Envy is why we hold in contempt greedy people who are successful in their greed.
Aside from envy, I would maintain that we hold in contempt greedy people because they are stupid, for them it's all greed and no play and that is the essence of stupidity.
Otherwise, if I can make as much money as I can with my time and labor, then I will want to make as much as I can within a time limit; so that I can retire early and live comfortably -- no, not luxuriously but comfortably.
If I can make as much money as I can with my time and labor, then also I would want to be 'greedy' so that I could use my honestly earned money to help others in the way of advancing the ideal of free inquiry, free thought, and free speech.
Now, how does greed bring disaster to greedy people? Because they can't think straight as to exercise just routine caution for being blinded by greed.
If you want to make money from a greedy person, borrow say $50 from him and pay back $75 in one week's time; do that two times, then borrow the third time a very big amount like $5000, telling him that this time you are not borrowing also from others but only from him, to save time and trouble, and as before you promise to pay him back within a week's time, $7500.
Try that formula and you will also satisfy your greed, but watch out he could kill you when he catches up with you.
Pachomius
- Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
- The admin formerly known as Scott
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- Joined: January 20th, 2007, 6:24 pm
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I like that you point out that greed is an emotive term. I think that is right, and I think that it is a term that is not used when we do not disrespect a person for their obsessive selfishness or recognize it causing them some sort of other self-harm.
I like your example of how greed brings harm to people, which exemplifies my speculation that greed is its own punishment. In analogy, the monetarily greedy person is to money what the crackhead is to crack. They are self-destructive obsession.
Thanks,
Scott
"The mind is a wonderful servant but a terrible master."
I believe spiritual freedom (a.k.a. self-discipline) manifests as bravery, confidence, grace, honesty, love, and inner peace.
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