Greed and psychology
What is greed and how to get rid of it? This is an insatiable selfish desire that is difficult to control. The faithful companions of such a negative quality are: stinginess, greed, gluttony and greed.
Greed manifests itself in a person when he lacks something . Some experience a constant lack of money, things, emotions, everyone has their own list. In fact, behind the lack of something lies a lack of human intimacy, which people try to fill with excesses of a different nature.
First, understand the reason for the manifestation of greed or stinginess. Human psychology is complex and not fully understood. According to some studies, a person uncontrollably spends money on unnecessary things due to depression, which is his faithful companion.
This primarily affects the psychological state. Dissatisfaction with life leads to psychosis. At the same time, immunity decreases, the person experiences constant weakness and often gets sick. Such a person gradually turns into a whiner for whom everything is always bad. So, the common causes of greed are :
- dissatisfaction with life;
- non-acceptance of one's personality;
- feeling of emptiness;
- feeling of worthlessness;
- depressive state.
Why do people strive so hard to build a career and become famous? There is an answer to such a simple question: to earn a lot of money. But behind all this is a simple human need for love, which pushes people to rash actions.
Greed breeds poverty: what does it mean?
Have you ever tried gambling? At least once in our lives, each of us has experienced such a feeling as excitement. The reason for gambling is greed - the desire to simply get for the sake of accumulation. Remember your feelings at that moment: consciousness narrows to one point - the desire to receive the maximum of any material resources here and now. And the willingness to risk everything for it. This condition can sometimes be very painful and even lead to serious mental disorders.
Remember Herman from Pushkin’s story “The Queen of Spades”. Greed not only pushed him to violence, but also drove him to a madhouse. “Three, seven, ace,” he droned on and on. It became a kind of meditation for him. And the thirst for winning is literally the meaning of life.
Often, when any human vices are considered, they say that these are our instincts, our animal nature, which a rational being is called upon to overcome. But such a vice as greed, in this case, is a kind of exception.
Surprisingly, animals do not show greed. Science knows of no cases where an animal, for example, would suffer from overeating. An animal always has a clear sense of proportion: how much to eat, when and in what proportion. And the accumulation of material wealth (if such is possible in the animal world) is also not observed. Even if any animal creates reserves for the winter, it is in the quantities strictly prescribed by nature. Nature itself tells him how much food he needs. Most often, food is prepared with a small reserve, but always in adequate volumes.
In a word, such a quality as greed is not found in the animal world. Consequently, this quality appeared in humans precisely in the process of evolution. How so? Indeed, in the process of evolution, our consciousness should become more altruistic, but here such a strange step back is taking place. The reason for this strangeness is the following.
The animal is limited by its instincts and strives exclusively to satisfy them. It does not strive for any development or expansion of consciousness in the process of its life activity. A person, possessing a more perfect mind, at a deep intuitive level longs for expansion of his consciousness, knowledge of a higher reality, and spiritual development. It is the thirst to expand the boundaries of our consciousness that is one of those qualities that distinguishes us from animals.
And here the following problem arises: if the soul that has incarnated in the human body does not yet have sufficient experience, then it tries to satisfy this thirst for expansion with the help of the tools that it used in the past, that is, with the help of animal models of behavior. Due to the lack of experience, such a soul does not realize that it desires knowledge of the highest reality, infinity and expansion of consciousness, and begins to satisfy its thirst in a physical way: by absorbing food and accumulating material wealth. This is a certain stage of development. From the point of view of the human chakra system, this is the level of the Manipura chakra.
The chakras in the human body correspond to the levels of consciousness, as well as the six worlds of Samsara. So the Manipura chakra is the level of the world of “pretas” or, in other words, hungry ghosts. These creatures are in their development already above the level of animals, but below the level of humans. They have a more developed consciousness than animals, but their distinguishing feature is greed. Those souls who, dying, leave this world through the Manipura chakra, are embodied in the world of hungry ghosts.
The life of hungry ghosts is pure suffering. Their entire existence is filled with hunger, thirst and desires that cannot be satisfied for a number of reasons.
Also, souls who are afflicted with the disease of greed are often punished by poverty. Or rather, it is even incorrect to talk about punishment here, because the Universe is favorable to us and wishes us only one thing - that we develop. Therefore, she cannot punish anyone. In this case, poverty is rather a cure for greed. After all, if a person pulls everything towards himself, then the only way to make him think is to deprive him of the opportunity to accumulate material values. In this way, the soul is “cured” from such a vice as greed. When a person is deprived of material goods (and sometimes even the ability to satisfy his basic needs), sooner or later he will begin to look for reasons for this.
At first, as a rule, a person will look for ways to “deceive” the Universe. A striking example are fans of various kinds of esoteric practices for attracting money. It’s not that doing this is harmful, but rather simply pointless. If a person has already “burned through” all his good karma due to endless accumulation and acquisitiveness, then no matter how much you repeat mantras and prayers, no matter how much you bury money in a cemetery on a full moon, there will be no money. But if he still has some good karma left, then such practices will help “burn through” its remnants, and then things will be very bad. Because if a person does not have good karma, then the chance of encountering adequate knowledge that can help get out of such a situation is zero.
When the experience of such searches for happiness and material wealth is completed (or, due to good karma, is simply rejected as unnecessary), then a person begins to more consciously delve into the causes of his suffering. Here, as a rule, he encounters the concepts of the law of karma and the fact that there is always balance in the world. And if a person only pulls everything towards himself, then sooner or later all sources of income for him will be cut off. This is exactly how the Universe “heals” egoists. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) there is no other way.
Only by immersing oneself in poverty and misery can an egoist understand that the accumulation of material wealth does not lead to development. Just as the body tries to block and destroy a cancer cell that suddenly begins to consume the body’s resources only for itself, the Universe, seeing that a person becomes a consumer, cuts off all sources of income for him. And this is not a punishment, but simply a rational approach: why waste resources on someone who will use them only for themselves?
How to become greedy
Greed is a trait that appears in a person as a result of negative experiences and erroneous conclusions regarding a particular situation. It can be triggered by the following factors:
- improper upbringing;
- lack of funds;
- social discomfort;
- distorted perception of the world and so on.
The psychology of greed has forced Chinese philosophers to work hard. They are sure that greedy people are deeply unhappy people .
There is a simple explanation for this: greedy people never value what they have, but are constantly dissatisfied with what they do not have.
Why are people greedy?
But first, let's look at why people are greedy and where greed comes from in general.
As trivial as it may seem, very often the seeds of greed fall into a person with early childhood adversities. Dysfunctional relationships in the family, injustice or inattention to the child, ignoring his urgent needs and natural childish desires, give rise to a feeling of one’s own vulnerability, reduce self-esteem, and cause a reflex of compensation for what was once lost.
In addition, retaining and increasing property plays a calming role, eliminating anxieties and worries, the causes of which lie in that very dysfunctional childhood.
It is interesting that greed is a typical trait of a rational being and is practically absent in nature.
It is people who have the ability to imagine the future and frighten themselves with its possible terrible scenario. This fear may be unconscious, but it reflexively sets a vector in a person’s behavior to compensate for the perceived troubles.
What is greed
This vice makes many forget about entertainment. Living for the sake of earning money, but not spending money on pleasure is an unforgivable mistake. After all, money helps you experience all the delights of life, it contributes to exciting travel, self-education, development, and so on. Don't deny yourself some fun.
The psychology of greed forces a person to save on almost everything: entertainment, clothing and even food, which in the future necessarily affects not only the emotional level, but also the physical. It has been proven that cheap things do not live up to their expectations. It is better to spend money on one good quality item than to purchase several, but of dubious quality.
Real stories about human greed
Excessive greed sometimes takes the form of a pathological dependence on money. A person, despite the fact that he has already managed to “make” a decent fortune, continues to save, depriving himself of all the joys of life. And such examples of human vices can be found not only in books, but also in real life.
The story of Henrietta Howland Green (also called the Witch of Wall Street), who lived in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century, is very instructive. She was a famous financier who earned a huge fortune. She lived in rented apartments all her life and heated dinner on the radiator so as not to spend extra money. But the most striking example of Henrietta's stinginess can be considered the case when her son had to have his leg amputated because she spent several days looking for a free hospital. Naturally, she had money for quality medical care, but she didn’t want to spend it to cure her child.
Another curmudgeon known throughout the world is John Paul Getty. As an oil tycoon and one of the richest men in America in the mid-20th century, he always wore the cheapest suits and skimped on the upkeep of his home. He even installed paid street machines in his mansion, believing that his guests were talking too much on the phone, and this was a “impressive” expense item. But he became famous because of another incident. When criminals kidnapped Getty's grandson, asking him for a ransom of $17 million, the tycoon categorically refused. After some time, he was sent a parcel containing his grandson’s ear and a lock of hair. As a result, Getty nevertheless gave a small amount, and the criminals released the young man. But he died some time later from his injuries.
Incompatible things
Happiness and greed are mutually exclusive concepts. To find happiness and peace, you need to get rid of the destructive feeling of greed . This feeling appeared back in the days when people were forced to fight for their survival. Greed is part of the human subconscious, it will be very difficult to eradicate this feeling.
People in the modern world have changed only partially; when talking about self-development, many do not even think about getting rid of their negative feelings and thoughts. The primitive instinct of survival can be safely put on the same level as greed. Many individuals strive to purchase something they saw from friends. Is it really needed? Most likely not, but the psychology of greed makes you forget about common sense .
Meanwhile, American scientists call greed a kind of engine of progress. If it were not for this feeling, many people would be content with little and would not strive for development. Perhaps the saying is appropriate here: everything is good, but in moderation.
How to defeat greed
- Realize one simple truth, which is not a secret and is accessible to everyone: savings can serve as a tool for you to solve certain problems. But they will never make you happy
.
Moreover, life is designed in such a way that the number and complexity of tasks that fate throws at you will always correspond to your resources. The larger and more significant the resources you accumulate, the more complex and tricky tasks life will throw at you
.
But, even caring about the availability of a “tool” for solving certain issues, we should not forget about reasonable proportionality and sufficiency
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To avoid shooting sparrows from a cannon
. You don’t need, for example, a five-meter-long screwdriver, do you? - By not giving anything to other people, you are drying up your own springs. The oncoming flow will also dry up
. Think about it. - By being greedy, you also steal the positive attitude around you.
- At least for a while, give up the championship to another person. Relax, gain strength and positive impressions from the tranquility created.
- Refocus yourself from material pleasures to spiritual pleasures. They are significantly brighter and healthier
. What price do you pay for your material well-being? What will it give you during the transition to eternity?
And finally, for you, a song from one of my favorite Soviet cartoons. Enjoy!
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See you again!
Yours, Audrius K.
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Few people think that character traits appear for a reason. Factors that contribute to its development include education, knowledge and personal experience.
. If childhood was difficult, there was a lack of parental love, then there is a risk of developing one of the psychological deviations - pathological greed.
Rescue from greed
Learn to give and not expect anything in return. Love for life, whatever it may be, will help you get rid of envy and greed. Cave habits will fade into oblivion if you give people what they need and what you have in abundance.
You can overcome any challenge if you have people around you who want to improve like you. The bad thing is that people have forgotten how to be generous, even if it costs them nothing.
The world provides opportunities, you just need to make an effort to get what you want. This is the rub, because some people will shamelessly take it from others rather than build it themselves. This lifestyle has devastating consequences. True happiness does not depend on material capabilities, it is found within a person who is confident in his abilities and the people around him. Be honest and positive with people around you.
Proverbs about greed
Our ancestors, seeing the results that greed leads to, came up with many instructive sayings for future generations in order to protect them from common mistakes:
- If you chase two hares, you won’t catch either.
- Not for yourself, not for people.
- The stingy rich man is poorer than the beggar.
- Fur coat lies there, and he himself trembles.
- The dog lies in the hay - and does not eat itself, and does not give it to the cattle.
- Self-interest blinds the eyes.
- There is nowhere to put the money, and there is nothing to buy a wallet with.
- Money to a miser is like hay to a dog: he neither eats nor gives it to others.
- I am ready to sell my own mother for money.
- He looks into the coffin and saves money.
- There is a cow in the yard and water is on the table.
- I don’t make noise myself, nor will I give it to anyone else.
- It is not the one who has little who is greedy, but the one who wants more.
- Stingy as bees: they collect honey and then die.
- For nothing, it will go away by steam.
- You'd rather beg milk from a chicken.
Greed. Synonyms
In the Russian language there are many synonyms for the word “greed”, which reflect the destructiveness, and most importantly, the stupidity of this vice.
For example, “gluttony.” The synonym reflects the fact that human greed is limitless and cannot be satisfied.
Another indicative synonym is “tightness.” That is, a greedy person squeezes everything to himself. And it looks stupid and strange.
“Greedy”, “stingy”, “gluttonous” - this is what they say about a greedy person, reflecting all the negative character traits that appear when a person is overcome by greed.
Simple truths
Remember once and for all: the more you give, the more you receive. Just don’t do good in anticipation of a miracle; only selfless deeds will bring benefits.
To cope with dissatisfaction in the soul, you need to turn into a useful, kind person. Learn to rejoice at the very opportunity to give to people, no matter what, your feelings or material things. Dissatisfaction with oneself and the world around us provokes the manifestation of greed. Selfless deeds will help you get rid of the psychology of greed and envy.
Treatment
Manfred Kets de Vries recommends that those suffering from greed make an appointment with a psychotherapist. The fact is that often this quality grows from childhood and goes into the unconscious. The task of a psychologist in such a situation is to find out the reason why a person developed greed. In therapy sessions, unresolved conflicts, childhood traumas, and learning to control emotions are often discussed. Sometimes a replacement of values occurs: in them, the therapist tries to bring to the fore in the patient not greed, but love, feelings of emotional closeness and acceptance towards others. Altruism and the idea of “giving gets rich” are encouraged.
Trusting God is accepting God as your Savior
—What is “trust in God”?
— Trust in God is absolute faith in Him, it is acceptance of God as your Savior. Trust in God arises, first of all, from a conscious, meaningful understanding of the fact: God is the only authority, the only power, the only creative force that ensures my existence.
Listen to what the Lord tells us about, including about greed through his apostles: “do not be lovers of money,” “do not place all your hopes in earthly, seemingly good accumulations,” because they will not help you. Lay up riches in heaven: “Whatever you have done for your neighbor, you have done for Me.” And by collecting wealth only for ourselves, without helping any of our neighbors, we ourselves block the path to that eternal beauty that the Lord has prepared for us.
What is holiness? Holiness is the feat of becoming like God, becoming like God in those acts of mercy that are defined by one word - “love.” The Holy Fathers are precisely those images and examples that the Lord calls us all to imitate, whose example we must follow if we want to correctly understand life and develop correctly. Because there is no other way, there is only a dead end into which our stubbornness, arrogance, our understanding of life, inspired by the Antichrist, leads us. We must decide in life, choose our path, overcome all difficulties, come to God, unite in Him. Greed, on the contrary, divides, separates us, turns us not even into animals, but into demons.
We can become like either God or the devil. So, it is better that we become like our Creator. So that, with His help, we return to His image and likeness, in which we must all abide - according to the plan of the Creator Himself. We were created as His image and likeness, and what we are today is far from His image and not His likeness. This is the image and likeness of anything else, but not a reflection of God. We can become the image and likeness of God only within the framework of the rules that the Lord communicates to us through Jesus Christ, assisting by the Holy Spirit to improve our life here to prepare a person for eternal life.
Greed. Greed…
A person rages over every little thing: “Oh, the dollar has fallen, my God...”
— What can you say about the increase in the dollar exchange rate? Today everyone is excited because of this...
- What can you say about this? This is just about the issue of greed. A man walks around and rages about every little thing: “Oh, the dollar has fallen, my God, what can we do, Lord have mercy, it’s a crisis!” "Lord have mercy!" - says the man, but he himself does not have the slightest hope in the Lord. This is a hypocritical appeal to God, not even so that God will help, but just to “blurt out” something.
A person experiences troubles only in order to learn the truth through them: one must turn to God, one must trust in God. Then the Lord will give us everything we need to improve our earthly life - money, food, clothing, etc. You just need to believe God.
And people, instead of trusting in the Lord, fall into panic and despondency: “Oh, what will happen to us?” People go crazy, almost go into a noose, as soon as they are faced with everyday troubles, with only one threat to their material well-being.
“Give me more anti-greed pills” so I can choke on them. We drive ourselves into a pile of clay shards, like the greedy Raja from the cartoon “The Golden Antelope”; we suffocate under these shards, suffocate in a cramped little world that we have invented for ourselves.
