The aspect of greed really interested me.There has always been greedy people, but these days everyone is greedy. I totally agree that greed seem natural to people. Americans I feel are really greedy because we want everything and we expect to have everything at our finger tips. We consume and consume and think nothing about it.How does our greed affect the people in the world and the environment. Many Americans feel that it is natural and we have a right to be greedy. We want to protect nature, but we also don't want to sacrifice our desires and wants. Do we have a right to happiness? Or should happiness be a gift from nature?
Another topic that interested me was the idea that people assumed nature would set things right and things would work out. If things did not work out as we hoped, we would just cover it with yellow tape. We tried to keep covering up the problem until it was looking at us in the face. I am optimistic and I do believe that we can help the problem. I feel that we should not give up on our ecological crisis and there must be something that we can do to help the problem. We need start thinking about the consequences before we act.
I like this post because as a Business major I've noticed more and more that our economic status seems to mean more to the human society than anything else. I understand the theory of "kill or be killed",humans simply want to be or have the best of the best. Knowing this our society MUST change this outlook. I'm starting to believe the saying that man is his own worst enemy. We can survive without government,money, and many luxuries, but the one thing we can't do without is our planet earth. Our society needs to get their heads out of their behinds because rather we like it or not, our actions have effected this planet.
ReplyDeleteI agree, and think that many of the problems with greed and overconsumption that Americans have are due to our removal from the production process. Think about it. You go to the supermarket, plunk down $1.19 for a loaf of bread and it's already sliced and put in a nice plastic bag and everything. Do people even take the time to consider the seeds that were sown, the rain that fell, the sun that shone, the harvesters who cut and threshed the wheat, the miller who ground it, the baker who baked it, and sliced it and packaged it, the truch driver who drove it accorss the state so that you could go pick up a loaf of bread for only $1.19. And don't get me started on bananas! Virtually anyone, anywhere in the US can go to any grocery store and buy bananas anytime of the year. Do they even consider the fact that those fruits were shipped thousands of miles (fresh prduce has travelled an average of about 1500 miles) and required the buring of that equivelent of fossil fuels in the process? Of course not. We don't give that a second thught.
ReplyDeleteMy point is, that perhaps Americans suffer such a horrible case of greed because were're so detached from the effort that goes into and the consequences that come from our consumption. I have a pretty good feeling that if more people grew their own vegetables and baked their oen bread, they would not only consume less (because trust me, plenty of work goes into that meager harvest of tomatoes) but gain an appreciation for what they do consume. I think that this is the main barrier that leaves foreigners flabberghasted at our gluttonous consumption and Americans asking, "what did I do wrong?"
I can understand that we are using all our resources and the whole honeybee demise but the according to the Bible the world is going to end sometime right? So are we trying to postpone the end or are we trying to survive for many more years? We are constantly wanting more and more and are not satisfied with what we have been given, which in the United States is quite a bit.
ReplyDeleteMoney is power. In Today's culture the more money you have, the more power you have....And everyone wants to be the most poweful one. Greed is one of the most evil things that humans have to deal with. It turns good people into degenirate low lifes, looking for loopholes that will make them an extra buck at the expense of anyone other than themselves. Greed has become a way of life for milllions paying any price to have the nicest things, the newest cars, the biggest house, etc. Its sad to see how little respect some people give to others. People let money control their lives and reputations so much that they end up bankrupt looking for reasons why their lives have been stripped away from them. Greed is corrupting the little bit of morals that people have left. It seems tough to not be materialistic in such a materialistic world.
ReplyDeleteGreed. A poweful word in itself, no doubt. As I grow older I notice an increase in greed and a decrease in the realization of the problems of the world. These days people are so greedy, they only care about a few things of which include: money, power, themselves. People will do anything to get that extra step up on the rest of the world. Having better shoes than the girl in class, a better car than your cousin, a nicer house than your neighbor; it's all so ridiculous. We get so caught up in the superficial lifestyles of today that we have problems realizing what truly matters in life.
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