Too much of everything is bad.
A greedy gut has no ears
The above idioms are words I have been hearing from childhood. I believe that parents usually sound it as a warning to curb any sort of greedy nature in their kids and it really works, at least for those who are ready to listen and pay heed.
What's greed?
Greed refers to the insatiable and excessive desire for power, wealth or other material possessions, often at the detriment of the wellbeing of oneself or others.
My personal definition of greed
I see and define greed as wanting too much, more than one can use, eating too much, more than one can chew* and desiring too much, more than what one can handle*.
Most people walking the surface of the earth today are greedy but they hide that aspect of themselves under the guise of being ambitious.
To be ambitious is not the same as being greedy but there's only a thin line between ambition and greed. What this means is that if one is not careful, ambition can cross over to become greed.
Let's take a look at the definition of ambition…
**Ambition is a strong desire to achieve success, power and recognition and this is usually driven by hard work and diligence.
Now here's the catch…
Ambition can cross over to become greed when there are no brakes or what I would also call limit to our desires.
It is very okay to desire to be successful, to desire wealth and the good things of life. The problem begins when that desire to achieve all these things shifts from working towards it to getting it by all means, not minding whose ox is gored.
Sometimes, culture can play a huge factor in shifting ambition to greed. In a cultural environment where the only yardstick for measuring success is through the material possessions that a person owns and not just with effort and diligence, such environment is capable of warping a person's thoughts about ambition to become greed
Another factor that I feel is very crucial is toxic competition. When a person begins to compare themselves to others who might have possessions or wealth more than they have, then the so-called ambition can actually turn to greed.
A major way to curb greed or keep ambition in place is to understand that we cannot have it all no matter how hard we try. Extremely rich people have something that steals their joy and their peace. The same can be said for poor people.
All that can be done is our very best. Dream big, strive for more, strive for growth and strive to be a better version of yourself than you were in previous years. This is what it means to have ambition.
Cultivating a lifestyle of gratitude can also help keep greed at bay. There's a particular nursery rhyme that is very common to school children in my country and it goes like this…
Some have food but can't eat,
Some can eat but have no food.
Some have legs but cannot walk,
Some can walk but have no legs.
Some have heads but have no caps,
Some have caps but have no head.....
This nursery rhyme is a reminder that no one has got it all, so there's no need for comparison, envy or competition.
Be yourself, Be your dream and Be happy and content.
Thank you all for reading.
Images are mine.