There is nothing wrong with wanting nice things, in fact it is a driving force in your life. It is the intent of wanting that matters. Is it going to hurt others, are you addicted to things?
It depends how you see it. I have become much more greedy with "my personal careing for others". I use to give and give to the point of exhaustion, and receiving nothing in return. I have difinately become greedy with my personal careing for others.
As your question is about today’s economy; my response is definitely and emphatically yes! In fact it was greed that caused this economic meltdown.
And there are a lot more scams out there to try and get people’ money. Your question is rather timely because today; the day after Thanksgiving, I got a letter with a check in it for $5,000.00. The letter said I had won two hundred and fifty thousand dollars and that I should cash the check and send four thousand dollars from the check back to the sender to pay for taxes and fees before the balance of the $250k would be released to me. It sounded rather suspicious.
Well I did some research and found out that the whole thing was a scam; the check is real and I can cash it; but it was drawn on another company’s account without their permission or knowledge and if I cash it I could be arrested and made to pay back the $5k plus other penalties; while the sender of the letter skips out with the $4k that was sent for supposedly taxes and fees. It’s a good thing I did some research and called the name of the company that was on the check. The bank note was real but it was fraudulently obtained. I was told that a lot of people around the U.S. are receiving similar letters and checks in the mail. To make a long story short I’ve turned the matter over to the post office because this is conspiracy to commit mail fraud among other things.
I feel so sorry that money has become so important in people’s lives that they will lie, steal, and kill for it. Values have been turned upside down, and yes I do believe that material greed runs rampart in America. While money can do some good things too often people want money just for the sake of status.
You mentioned a verse from the Christian Bible but all of the major religions talk about attachment to the material, worshipping the golden calf, etc. In Yogi Philosophy greed is said to bind our consciousness to the mineral plane; even lower than the animal plane. It hardens us when we create a god of gold and silver. We become slaves to it, and a cage made of gold is still nonetheless a cage.
While Jesus did say “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s;” if the Kingdom of Heaven was here on Earth there would be no need for Caesars nor need for money; we give for the sake of giving and not for what we might receive in return. There are many places in the world today where money is valued more than life; and that is just a very sad state of affairs.
I live a fairly simple lifestyle, but I do buy books and art supplies. The little art studio we are building is for my artistic endeavors, and hopefully one day will supplement our low income status. It will also be a spiritual center for me. I consider it a luxury for me, but I hope to put it to good use. We get our dining room back which will allow us to eat together, and my bedroom will become a bedroom again, and won't have to share space with an office.
I try to evaluate whatever I do for myself so I can keep from attachments. It gets easier as I get older.
Want and desire always are a temporary thing. It is the one side of the coin. One minute we are up, and the other we are down. That is life and I wish to move through life as peacefully as possible, growing spiritually. Anything more than our basic needs is not needed, not even the studio, but that will have benefits in other ways, including one's I can't see right now, but sense.
Attachment has to be dealt with at one time or another for spiritual progress, so from my vantage point, why do I want to feed my weaknesses by adding attachments to my life. I am no less joyful and fulfilled without them. Plus, I have more freedom. I've seen the economy go south before, even if not so drastically, so I always consider that a possibility in planning our future needs. That is why we bought a house below what we could afford at the time.
A great example is a comparison between us and our neighbors. We worked hard, saved money, tried to pay more on our monthly mortgage, while the neighbors took out loans on their home, bought cars, a boat, those water motorcycles, I forget what you call them, and other things. Now, he is out of work, his wife has gone to work and makes low wages. They may lose their home, and will have to start all over. He admits he made a big mistake in his choices.
We have paid off the house, have no debts, and for now can live off my small social security check if we have to, since our bills don't exceed that. Having that security and freedom from worry gives us a lot of freedom, happiness and peace.
You tell me if being greedy and accumulating "things" is wise. It will be a difficult task to convince me.
My husband come from a country of real poverty. They live one day at a time, because they never know what tomorrow will bring. His example taught me about needs and wants, and it was eye opening in the beginning. Then it all made sense, but I am still the saver for a rainy day. ;-)
I have to agree with EZ2's answer, that greed runs rampant in this country! It is due, simply, to uncontrolled Capitalism. Those with the controls, have absolutely no concern for the masses, and their conditions, and every concern for maximising their bottom lines! Then they scream bloody murder, whenever someone even suggests there be some kind of controls set to their greed. NO, there is nothing wrong with one bettering themselves. But there is something wrong with one doing so, at the expense of, and even the destruction of, another!
EZ, that was a very brazen attempt by those scammers. I'm hoping that your actions will help in some way, to put a stop to what they are doing ... of course, there are more who may not be caught.
Peace, I'm excited to see your art studio be finished because I know what a blessing it is to have a space for creating, and you have a great talent that will blossom and bloom for the greater good of everyone :) I also know how it feels to have never spent beyond means, doing without until the funds were there to do. Those who are having to rethink their ways are having a very hard time with the transition. I can only hope that, as EZ says, there is always for them the realization that life is much more precious than any material possessions. To me, greed is not knowing what enough is.
Thanks, Barb. I'm holding my breath until it is fully realized. It will be eventually. Maybe early next year.
WW, you bring up an interesting issue, and one that has deep spiritual ramifications. What do we do as spiritual people when we find ourselves in a country which is based on what is totally unrelated to spiritual values, i.e., capitalism, which has only one objective, with no limits, "profit". That is it! All of it!
The recent cries against "socialism" in reference to healthcare reform raise the issues of ethics, morality, and spirituality. I understand about the philosophy of keeping government out of social issues, but what happens when the basis of our country acts contrary to the good of its citizens? Who is accountable?
I posted this here because of your statement. It may not be considered appropriate for this group because it is a political issue as well. If not, just forget it. However, if is is a viable topic, maybe we could start a new thread on this. What do you think?
I AM in agreement with you, Peacewithin, it is INDEED a viable topic for this forum, as this quote from Ghandi, makes quite clear! "There are seven sins in the world: Wealth without work, 'Pleasure without conscience', Knowledge without character, 'Commerce without morality', Science without humanity, Worship without sacrifice and 'politics without principle'.". And if 'conscience', 'morality', and 'principle', aren't in the realm of this forum, then nothing is!
