“The world says: ‘You have needs – satisfy them. You have as much right as the rich and the mighty. Don’t hesitate to satisfy your needs; indeed, expand your needs and demand more.’ This is the worldly doctrine of today. And they believe that this is freedom. The result for the rich is isolation and suicide, for the poor, envy and murder.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky in The Brothers Karamazov
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In his recent speech, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. believed that now is the time for greed to end.
“Amidst the challenges affecting our institutions, we must remain firm, uncompromised, and united in fighting corruption. The unscrupulous abuse of power and greed must come to an end,” Marcos pointed out.
This brings us to the first novel authored by Dr. Jose P. Rizal. I believe I was still in high school when I had the opportunity to read Noli Me Tangere. The title is derived from the words of Jesus Christ when He addressed Mary Magdalene after His resurrection. “Touch me not,” He said, “for I am not yet ascended to my Father” (John 20:17).
However, what truly intrigued me was Rizal’s subsequent novel, El Filibusterismo. He wrote it to illustrate the avarice of the leaders during that era. This likely explains why the thought-provoking novel was subtitled The Reign of Greed.
“Greed has three facets: love of things, love of fame, and love of pleasure,” said Paul Martin. All these facets can be attacked directly with frugality, anonymity, and moderation. “Reduction of greed,” he pointed out, “will be translated into stepped-up vitality, diminished self-centeredness, and a clear awareness of our real identity.”
But what is greed? Allow me to share a tale. A large dog had taken a substantial piece of meat from the butcher and was sprinting home with it as swiftly as the creature could manage.
Upon reaching a stream with a plank spanning it, the dog glanced down into the water and observed something quite peculiar. Beneath the surface, there was another dog with another piece of meat.
“Aha,” the dog mused. “What is this: a dog possessing a piece of meat even larger than mine down there! I shall seize it from that dog.”
Consequently, the large dog lowered its mouth to snatch the other dog’s piece of meat, and plop, the piece of meat fell directly to the bottom of the stream. The large dog continued to gaze into the water and now realized that the dog down there also had no meat. Thus, both had forfeited their meal – both the dog and the reflection of the dog in the water.
We have a Tagalog saying that goes something like this: “Ang naghangad ng kagitna, isang salop ang nawala.”
Here’s another one: A businessman overtook two travelers. One was greedy and the other was jealous. When they came to the parting of ways, the merchant said he wanted to give them a parting gift. Whoever made a wish first, would have his wish fulfilled. But the other man would get a double portion of what the first had asked for.
Each waited and waited for the other fellow to wish first. Finally, the greedy ma took the envious man by the throat and threatened to choke him unless he made his wish. So, the envious man said, “All right, I wish to be blind in one eye.”
At once, he lost the sight of one eye, while his companion lost both.
Greed is always equated with fame and money. “Wealth is like sea-water; the more we drink, the thirstier we become; and the same is true of fame,” commented German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer.
Don’t be greedy, some wise say. “Every single ancient wisdom and religion will tell you the same thing: Don’t live entirely for yourself; live for other people,” urged Barbara Ward. “Think what it means in concrete terms. Don’t get stuck inside your own ego, because it will become a prison in no time flat – and don’t think that self-realization will make you happy. That is the way you will end in your own hell.”
“Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction,” reminded American psychologist Erich Fromm.
A long time ago, there was an Emperor who told his horseman that if he could ride on his horse and cover as much land area as he likes, then the Emperor would give him the area of land he has covered.
Sure enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and rode as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could. He kept on riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible. When he was hungry or tired, he did not stop because he wanted to cover as much area as possible. He had covered a substantial area and he was exhausted and was dying.
Then he asked himself, “Why did I push myself so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and I only need a very small area to bury myself.”
The narrative presented above parallels the journey of our lives. Each day, we exert considerable effort to earn more money, attain power, and seek recognition. In doing so, we often overlook our health, the time spent with our families, and the appreciation of the beauty around us, as well as the hobbies we cherish.
Eventually, when we reflect on our past, we may come to the realization that we do not truly require so much. However, we cannot turn back time to relish the moments we have overlooked. Life is not solely about accumulating wealth, gaining power, or seeking acknowledgment. In fact, life is certainly not defined by work! Work is merely a means to sustain our existence, allowing us to enjoy the beauty and pleasures that life has to offer.
