Do you consider yourself - how to put it mildly - tight-fisted? No? Can you call yourself generous? Wait, don't rush to answer. Anyway, before you read what is written here...
The world we live in is abundant and self-sufficient. Nature has generously given us everything we need for a full, rich life. By accepting the abundance of the world, we can actively express ourselves in it and enjoy life. There is enough space on our planet for every person, enough air to breathe, enough water to drink. The world is filled with an abundance of all kinds of food, which is quite enough to meet the needs and satiate all the people of the Earth. There are 24 hours in a day, and this is quite enough for an active, fulfilling life and good rest.
We have the opportunity to accept the gifts of nature, the source of life, to live, realizing our plans and talents. The surrounding nature is so diverse that we can look at fields, gardens, forests, rivers, mountains, seas. Various images delight the eye and delight with their diversity. We are surrounded by sounds of different frequencies, different smells. Our food is varied in taste. All this adds color and interest to our lives and is part of the overall abundance.
And yet, for most people, something prevents them from accepting this diversity and abundance and enjoying their lives. This quality, which prevents us from accepting the abundance and care of the world, is called greed.
Greed and its types
One of the most understandable, well-known and characteristic manifestations of greed is hoarding. It is this quality that is most often called greed, meaning the accumulation of material objects, various kinds of things, money.
So, accumulation of material wealth. Often, a person himself may not understand why he acquires certain items, and also does not free himself from old items. So 20 pairs of slippers can accumulate in the house, things fall out of the closet when you try to open it, there is nowhere to put the dishes or you have to squeeze between the furniture. Sometimes it feels like things are starting to push the owner out of his home.
The reasons for hoarding can be different:
- to be no worse than others,
- to have more than someone else
- just in case, “just in case” it might come in handy.
Greed, on the one hand, manifests itself in the acquisition of more and more things, on the other, in the reluctance to let go of the old. After all, things that are no longer needed can be donated, sold, thrown away, or given to those who really need them. For example, my daughter annually put aside toys that she had outgrown and took them to kindergarten for general use. Among the toys there could be both old and quite new.
Hoarding money can be another option for greed. It’s one thing if money is accumulated for a specific purpose, it’s another thing if it’s just in case or for a “rainy day.” If money is an end in itself and its presence and use does not bring joy and pleasure from life, this is also greed.
A familiar type of greed to many is a large amount of food, the pursuit of a variety of tastes and products, in other words, gluttony. This is a common type of greed. Today it is reliably known that most people consume 3-5 times more food than is necessary for the natural functioning of the body. The result is numerous health problems.
I’ll tell you how I conducted a personal experiment on this topic. For a whole month I ate every other day. One day I didn’t eat or drink anything, and the next day I ate my usual food. During the first week I lost a little weight, sometimes I had a loss of strength. In the second week, the body adapted and the weight returned to normal. By the end of the month, this way of life seemed natural, lightness, flexibility, endurance appeared, the skin on the face became smoother and fresher.
How can adults overcome greed?
With children everything is more or less clear. With adults everything is much more complicated. If a person realizes that his greed has grown into a big problem, he will need to make some efforts on himself to get rid of this insidious feeling.
- First of all, you need to force yourself to throw away or give away all your old things. If you can’t do it yourself, it’s better to ask friends or family for help.
- At least occasionally you need to allow yourself small pleasures: spending on chocolate, flowers, a movie or a book.
- Compassion and helping other people will help you overcome greed. You can give alms, transfer money to a charity fund, or buy groceries for an elderly person in a store.
And most importantly: it is necessary to remember that everything is in the hands of man. If you learn to control yourself, then no greed will prevail over other, more necessary feelings.
Information hunger
Everything I listed above is material greed. But there is also information greed. One of its manifestations is the accumulation and absorption of information. This can manifest itself in constant reading of books without applying the information received, reading newspapers, magazines, and the accumulation of various knowledge. Just as overeating can sometimes lead to indigestion and digestive disorders, and when “overeating” information, confusion in the head and even just a headache can occur.
Another type of information greed is when a person does not share the information he has. For example, you watched an interesting film or read an interesting magazine. You can tell your friends and acquaintances about them, or recommend them on an Internet forum. Or you can not tell anyone and be proud that few people have seen this film or know about this magazine. This can concern information about anything - a book, useful training, lecture, concert, interesting institution.
What kind of greed is there?
Greed is a trait inherent in human nature itself. This phenomenon accompanies people throughout history. It has found expression in many areas of activity. This is evidenced by the variety of notations. In Russian, immoderate desire was denoted by a variety of terms, among which are:
- selfishness;
- acquisitiveness;
- covetousness;
- hoarding;
- love of money;
- bribery.
Synonyms for greed are:
- stinginess - immoderate desire and love for wealth;
- greed is an active desire and irrepressible desire, a tendency to obtain material wealth and benefits.
When you don't have enough energy
Energy greed manifests itself in a craving for various types of energy exercises that provide a sharp influx of energy. This could also be a desire for various doping agents and stimulants. This type of greed also manifests itself in addiction to various types of extreme sports. If you ask such people why they need additional sources of energy, few will answer something specific. But if the excess power is not directed, it can manifest within us not always positive qualities.
If you know how to direct energy, for example, to healing, to realizing a goal, to shaping events, then such methods can be safe and useful for you. But then we are no longer talking about greed. After all, energy does not accumulate in reserve, but flows freely through us. But an example of an energetic type of greed is doing yoga for 5 hours a day instead of one or two, or lifting weights for 4-6 hours a day. This usually leads to overload and destruction instead of benefit and pleasure.
Why do people become greedy?
It’s not for nothing that proverbs about greed and stupidity go hand in hand. After all, these two traits are very similar to each other, and are often intertwined in one person. Often it is stupidity and low moral values that become the basis for the birth of the first spark of greed.
It’s just that such people don’t see anything beautiful around them. It was not explained to them that there are things much more important than money, clothes or food. Their inner world is very stingy and small, which is a big problem both for themselves and for those around them.
And if such a person is not helped, everything will only get worse. Greed will eat him up from the inside, and then there will be no turning back. After all, he simply does not want to listen to others, considering them wrong. It’s not for nothing that the sages said: “Greed deprives one of reason,” and this is one of the main truths that proverbs about greed and stupidity teach us.
Saving effort
Saving energy is another energy type of greed. There are people who prefer to do things half-heartedly to save energy. This is a dead-end path, since it creates subtle tensions in the body and energy does not flow freely through energy channels. These tensions tie up personal power and limit possibilities. Therefore, if you are going to do something, then do it with full enthusiasm, 100% - or not do it at all.
Another type of energy greed concerns the distribution of time. Many people forbid themselves to rest, explaining this by being overloaded with work, a large number of important matters, etc. This is also greed - working at night, reducing sleep, limiting rest. A person forbids himself small pleasures and sufficient sleep. As a result, health is destroyed, no achievements are pleasing, and emotional breakdowns may occur. But 24 hours in a day is enough to do important things, allow yourself to relax and enjoy yourself, and get enough sleep at night.
Greed is in our genes
Such a feeling as greed is inherent in all people without exception. According to Yuri Shcherbatykh, Doctor of Biological Sciences, author of the monograph “The Seven Deadly Sins, or Psychology of Vice for Believers and Non-Believers,” we inherited greed from our distant ancestors—primitive people:
“Two million years ago, in conditions of shortage of resources, our predecessors, in order to survive, needed to capture more food, raw materials, and tools at the first opportunity. They were very reluctant to share all this with their relatives. When money appeared, the nature of selfish feelings changed: people began to “fight for metal.” After all, money can buy almost everything in the world. And the level of a person’s greed began to be determined by upbringing and the influence of society. Greed has become not only innate, but also acquired.”
A pathologically greedy person begins to save on everything to the detriment of his health, comfort, happiness, and love. He wants to accumulate as much money, expensive things, precious metals and stones as possible, but he does not want to share it with anyone. Greedy people are all people, but only a few have such an obsessive desire as, for example, Midas had. Psychologists believe that vicious greed has several causes. We'll talk about them further.
Workshop for everyone
Think about what types of greed are familiar and inherent to you. Recognize that this is greed. Greed does not lead to a harmonious life, joy, happiness, no matter what we achieve.
What are the causes of greed? The main reason is fear. Not on time, late, not getting it. Fear of being worse, fear of not being enough. In general, any fear can lead to various manifestations of greed. Therefore, the first way to get rid of greed is aimed at getting rid of fears. It is important to realize exactly what fears underlie your greed.
All fears lead to certain behavioral habits, which manifest themselves as different types of greed. For example, this manifests itself in economy, haste, tension, hoarding, and secrecy. After recognizing your fears, it is important to become aware of your behavior patterns associated with greed.
Consequences for humans
From a religious point of view, greed invariably leads to an increase in worries that corrupt the soul. A rich person becomes withdrawn and angry. He is constantly haunted by fear of loss, hatred of competitors and envious people. Gluttony becomes the cause of many tragedies and crimes.
A person's greed can lead to various consequences. It all depends on the circumstances and conditions. Some greedy people are successful and prosperous to the extent of their ideas about these concepts. Others constantly face problems in business, personal life, communication with friends and loved ones.
Does greed lead to wealth? It is impossible to say unequivocally and affirmatively about this. This personality trait increases the likelihood of achieving a well-being goal, but does not guarantee success.
Developing Generosity
The most radical and important method of liberation from greed is the development of generosity. The universal divine Source of life is generous in its essence. Each of us is a part of it. Therefore, being generous is natural and brings us closer to the Source. And the more we show generosity, the more we begin to feel the flow of abundance.
How to develop and show generosity? Generously share what you have and know, strive to do it selflessly, without thinking about what will happen to you for it. Share the information you have, your energy, and sincerely show interest in the people around you. Be generous with compliments, praise, admiration, and a sense of humor. Be generous with yourself, find time for relaxation, pleasure, and entertainment. Remember to cultivate generosity every day and it will soon become part of your lifestyle. In addition, it has been scientifically proven that the manifestation of generosity causes vivid physiological processes of rejuvenation, strengthening of the immune system, a feeling of joy and high spirits.
The difference between greed and savings
“I don’t want to share!” - this is a manifestation of greed. The phenomenon differs from saving in that a frugal person saves money when necessary, but when necessary, he is able to share even modest resources.
There is another side to the coin. Thrifty rich people can spend huge amounts of money on charity, while living modestly themselves. Here we can say about a person that he is economical, not greedy.
The inner desire for possession is a black hole that cannot be filled. Greedy homo sapiens tries to satiate the emptiness in his soul with such a manifestation. The roots of greed go deep into childhood. Perhaps the person was not given enough food, enough sleep, or proper rest. This is how he became.
Saving is a personal, conscious choice. It does not hide the fear of losing what you have. They save for the sake of their goal. When there is no goal, it means they are greedy.
Greedy individuals are depressed and also deeply unhappy. Thrifty people do not have any special psychological problems. They just chose this way of survival. Only a mature person is capable of saving. The “inner child” of an adult who did not receive love in childhood is greedy.
Causes
Psychologists and scientists who analyze the motives for the emergence of greed put forward various assumptions. One hypothesis is that the roots of the problem go back to childhood. Acquisitiveness arises as a reaction of the self-preservation instinct to life's difficulties.
Main factors:
- Fears . There is a theory in psychology that declares fear to be the cause of greed. A person has no confidence in the future. The danger of losing material well-being pushes a person to preserve what he has accumulated. Then even this becomes not enough, and a desire arises to increase values. Gradually, the natural desire to be financially prosperous is hypertrophied. This may mean it turns into greed. Childhood trauma - the child did not receive the love and affection of his parents to the fullest, he was afraid to be left alone. Fears first gave rise to complexes, then hoarding and multiplication.
- Poverty of the soul. One-sided upbringing of a child, when the material world dominates the spiritual component, develops selfishness in him. Parents do not give their child warmth and fill the void in the relationship with toys and gadgets. By replacing love with objects, they do not think that they are raising a future greedy person. The desire for kindness, gratitude, and non-covetousness is replaced by a desire for greed and stinginess.
- Poverty . The family in which the child grew up was constantly in need of food. He was ridiculed by his peers because he did not have good clothes or a telephone. Growing up, a person feels the need to compensate for childhood grievances. In pursuit of wealth, he ceases to control desires and actions. He develops all kinds of greed.
- Worship of material values (family model of behavior). The talk in the house boils down to the fact that money decides everything in life. Adults are busy with the problem of accumulating and increasing material values. In such conditions, children receive the wrong concept of good. Acquiring property becomes the goal of life. Manifestations concern not only the material side. Acquisitiveness is expressed in the desire for power, honor, and fame. It makes no difference what you accumulate; the process of multiplication itself is important.
This personal quality can have a positive meaning. To achieve what he wants, a person develops active activity. The attraction to knowledge and skills forces him to make maximum efforts. The main thing in the pursuit of something new is not to cross the line separating a good goal from a vice.
