Stop letting greed take over your need! The world is currently battling the coronavirus pandemic and struggling to devise ways to counter the downfall of global economy. This is an unusual and challenging time for all of us. While most of us are being able to spend the days in lockdown with sufficient food and essential supplies, there are thousands of people struggling to find essential items for survival. Stores are facing a sudden supply crunch and are unable to deliver items to the population in need.
Let me ask you, did the news of lockdown push you toward a state of panic and fear? As a result, did you, like many others, end up panic-buying items in quantities way beyond necessary? Do you remember hoarding your carts and spending thousands on grocery without giving much thought about your actual “need”? If your answers have been “yes” to all the questions above, let me tell you, you’ve become a victim of greed.
“There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
How is Need different from Greed? Let me make the difference clear for you:
The root of Greed is “Fear” and the root of Need is “Survival”. When we act from survival instincts, our needs are legitimate and are fulfilled. But when our survival needs are fulfilled, we start having the fear of losing them. This triggers the greed in us and we end up wanting more of what we already have. The more we have, more we want. We even start comparing these things with others, we start indulging in a competition with them in our minds and this creates “Jealousy”.
Greed makes us selfish and self-centred. We no longer remain compassionate and loving. We become hard hearted and cold. In short, we no longer remain human beings, we begin developing an animal instinct. We stop helping others.
Do you remember the news about the people who bought thousands of toilet paper rolls, some to make use of them amidst the lockdown, and others to sell those for greater prices? These people acted out of fear and greed. Let me tell you a story to explain this further. A man, George and his friend Michael wished for a huge house, an expensive car and a bungalow as teenagers. Eventually, George grew to become a businessman, and his business flourished in a short period of time. Michael on the other hand joined a firm in service, however, enjoyed his job. As success came George’s way, he started spending more and more time with affluent people, and began comparing his life with theirs. Michael started noticing a difference in the behavior of his friend, who had started being rude owing to the constant stress he felt. With every little success, George wanted more, and pined until he achieved it. Michael, however, was content with what he had. Eventually, Michael realised that his friend isn’t really happy in his life, and that at every point of time, he feels someone else is better than him. He was never really content with the money he had earned, since he had become a victim of greed.
Let me ask you, what do you think leads us towards greed? Especially in difficult times such as these, what are the reasons we, as a part of our society, act through greed? These challenging times have unfortunately been able to reveal the most frightening faces of the human race. Why is everyone around the world acting in such a greedy manner? People have been hoarding toilet papers, hand sanitizer bottles etc. out of panic. Why? Let me tell you the factors which lead people to act this way:
Thanks to technology (which is a boon in our times), all sort of negative news and rumours reach in our living rooms. Instead of keeping news at a level of information and analysing them with our intellect, we start getting influenced by them. Unfortunately, negativity attracts our attention and our mind starts getting subsumed by fear. Fear in turn infects our mind & we start believing in everything that goes around, succumbing to distrust. Panic-buying, which is the most common scenario these days, is a result of extreme fear and lack of unity in the society.
Every problem has become a business in the modern world, which has ultimately led to greed in the affluent, and scarcity in those in need.
What happens when Greed takes over your Need?
The moment you let greed take over your need, the universe finds a way to balance the imbalance created due to your actions. Greed blinds you and keeps you from your real goals and ambitions which can take you towards success in life. As the fear of the pandemic spreads around the world, let us all learn to act a responsible citizens and act sensibly. Through unity and compassion, we can win over this pandemic together! Before buying anything in bulk, or strongly acting towards your desires, ask yourself, “Do you really need this? Can you lead a happy life without this? Will the others suffer if you do this?” If your actions might disturb the universal balance, if you’re wishing for something out of jealousy, you’re letting greed overpower you.
Stand with the fellow human beings in this time of crisis! Stay healthy and happy!
