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reed is the self-serving desire for the pursuit of money
Money

Money is anything that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts. The main uses of money are as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, and a store of value....
, wealth
Wealth

Wealth is an abundance of valuable material possessions or resources. The word is derived from the old English wela, which is from an Indo-European word stem....
, power
Power (sociology)

Power is a measure of a person's ability to control the environment around them, including the behavior of other people. The term authority is often used for power, perceived as legitimate by the social structure....
, food
Food

Food is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be Eating or Drinking by an animal or human for nutrition or pleasure....
, or other possessions, especially when this denies the same goods to others. It is generally considered a vice
Vice

Vice is a practice or habit considered immoral, depraved, and/or degrading in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a defect, an infirmity or merely a bad habit....
, and is one of the seven deadly sins
Seven deadly sins

The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, are a classification of the most objectionable vices that were originally used in early Christian teachings to educate and instruct followers concerning fallen man's tendency to sin....
 in Catholicism
Catholicism

Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its Theology and doctrines, its Catholic liturgy, Ethics, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
.

hists believe greed is based on incorrectly connecting material wealth with happiness
Happiness

Happiness is a state of mind or feeling such as contentment, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy. A variety of Philosophy, Religion, Psychology and Biology approaches have been taken to defining happiness and identifying its sources....
. This is caused by a view that exaggerates the positive aspects of an object; that is, acquiring material objects has less impact than we imagine on our feelings of happiness.






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Greed

Greed is the self-serving desire for the pursuit of money
Money

Money is anything that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts. The main uses of money are as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, and a store of value....
, wealth
Wealth

Wealth is an abundance of valuable material possessions or resources. The word is derived from the old English wela, which is from an Indo-European word stem....
, power
Power (sociology)

Power is a measure of a person's ability to control the environment around them, including the behavior of other people. The term authority is often used for power, perceived as legitimate by the social structure....
, food
Food

Food is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be Eating or Drinking by an animal or human for nutrition or pleasure....
, or other possessions, especially when this denies the same goods to others. It is generally considered a vice
Vice

Vice is a practice or habit considered immoral, depraved, and/or degrading in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a defect, an infirmity or merely a bad habit....
, and is one of the seven deadly sins
Seven deadly sins

The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, are a classification of the most objectionable vices that were originally used in early Christian teachings to educate and instruct followers concerning fallen man's tendency to sin....
 in Catholicism
Catholicism

Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its Theology and doctrines, its Catholic liturgy, Ethics, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
.

Greed versus happiness

Buddhists believe greed is based on incorrectly connecting material wealth with happiness
Happiness

Happiness is a state of mind or feeling such as contentment, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy. A variety of Philosophy, Religion, Psychology and Biology approaches have been taken to defining happiness and identifying its sources....
. This is caused by a view that exaggerates the positive aspects of an object; that is, acquiring material objects has less impact than we imagine on our feelings of happiness. This view has been corroborated by studies in the field of happiness economics
Happiness economics

Happiness economics is the study of a country's quality of life by combining economists' and psychologists' techniques. It relies on more expansive notions of utility than does conventional economics....
, which confirm that beyond the provision of a basic level of material comfort, more wealth does not increase happiness.

Greed and idolatry

Greed is a form of idolatry
Idolatry

Idolatry is usually defined as worship of any cult image, idea, or Object , as opposed to the worship of a monotheistic God. It is considered a major sin in the Abrahamic religions whereas in religions where such activity is not considered as sin, the term "idolatry" itself is absent....
, according to the Bible
Bible

The Bible is the central religious text of Judaism and Christianity. The exact Books of the Bible is dependent on the religious traditions of specific denominations....
 (Colossians 3:5). While some have had difficulty understanding this connection, the most common explanation is that the greedy person values money or possessions more than God. This may also be connected with worship of the golden calf
Golden calf

The golden calf was an idolatry made for the Israelites during Moses' absence, as he went up to Mount Sinai. According to the Hebrew Bible, the calf was made by Aaron to satisfy the Israelites, whereas the Quran indicates the maker to be Samiri....
. Another understanding is that greed serves to bring as many things that the greedy person considers valuables to that person, making him the center of his efforts, the one he aims to please, converting him into his own god, and creating pride with great concentration on the ego.

Literature

  • Lewis A. Coser
    Lewis A. Coser

    Lewis Coser was an American sociologist.Born in Berlin , Coser was the first sociologist to try to bring together structural functionalism and conflict theory; his work was focused on finding the functions of social conflict....
    , Greedy Institution
    Institution

    Institutions are social structure and social mechanism of social order and cooperation governing the behavior of a set of individuals. Institutions are identified with a social purpose and permanence, transcending individual human lives and intentions, and with the making and enforcing of rules governing cooperative human behavior....
    s    , 1974


See also

  • Miser
    Miser

    A miser is a person who is reluctant to spend money, sometimes to the point of forgoing even basic comforts. The term derives from the Latin miser, meaning "poor" or "wretched," comparable to the modern word "miserable"....
  • Mammon
    Mammon

    Mammon is a term, derived from the Christian Bible, used to describe material wealth or greed, most often Anthropomorphism as a deity....
  • Gordon Gekko
    Gordon Gekko

    Gordon Gekko is a fictional character from the 1987 film Wall Street by director Oliver Stone. Gekko was portrayed by actor-producer Michael Douglas, in a performance that won him an Academy Awards for Best Actor....
  • Seven Deadly Sins
    Seven deadly sins

    The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, are a classification of the most objectionable vices that were originally used in early Christian teachings to educate and instruct followers concerning fallen man's tendency to sin....
    Lust
    Lust

    Lust is an inordinate craving for coitus often to the point of assuming a self-indulgent, and sometimes violent character. Lust, or an immoderate desire for the flesh of another , is considered a sin, or impure act, in all of the Abrahamic religions....
    Gluttony
    Gluttony

    Derived from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow, gluttony is the over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or intoxicants to the point of waste....
    Greed
    Greed

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    Sloth
    Sloth (deadly sin)

    In the Christian moral tradition, sloth is one of the seven capital sins, often called the seven deadly sins; these sins are called the capital sins because they destroy charity in the person's heart and thus may lead to final impenitence and eternal death....
    Wrath
    Envy
    Envy

    Envy may be defined as an emotion that "occurs when a person lacks another?s [perceived] superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it." It can also derive from a sense of low self-esteem that results from an upward social comparison threatening a person's self image: another person...
    Pride
    Pride

    Pride is, depending upon context, either a high sense of the worth of one's self and one's own, or a pleasure taken in the contemplation of these things....
  • Seven Heavenly Virtues
    Chastity
    Chastity

    Chastity is sexual behavior of a man or woman acceptable to the ethics norms and guidelines of a culture, civilization, or religion.In the western world, the term has become closely associated with sexual abstinence, especially Pre-marital sex....
    Temperance
    Temperance (virtue)

    Temperance is the practice of moderation. It was one of the four "cardinal" virtues held to be vital to society in Ancient Greece culture. It is one of the Four Cardinal Virtues considered central to Christian behaviour by the Catholic Church and is an important tenet of the moral codes of other world religions—for example, it is...
    Charity
    Charity (virtue)

    In Christian theology charity, or Love #Christian , means an unlimited loving-kindness toward all others.The term should not be confused with the more restricted modern use of the word charity to mean benevolent giving....
    Diligence
    Diligence

    Diligence is a zealous and careful nature in one's actions and work. Decisive work ethic. Budgeting one's time; monitoring one's own activities to guard against laziness....
    Patience
    Patience

    Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties....
    Kindness
    Kindness

    Kindness is the act or the state of being kind and marked by charity behaviour, marked by mild disposition, pleasantness, tenderness and concern for others....
    Humility
    Humility

    Humility, or being humble, is the defining characteristic of an unpretentious and modesty person, someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others....


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