Needs and greed: one or the other

Nature can provide for the needs of people; [she] can't provide for the greed of people.
- Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)

Despite the charming rhyme of "needs" and "greed", this quote seems to suggest that one of history's most successful, focussed and positive men was feeling the weight of depression when he spoke these words.

Every person has needs and those needs must be met in order for peace and happiness to be worthy objectives in a community.

Greed, however, is what results when we do not teach children the bad effects of greed, how they develop and their consequences to an individual and a community.

Greed is built into us, a holdover from our primitive prehistoric days as animals of the forest or savannah. It protected us in those days from starvation. Now that the world produces more food that it has people to feed, greed stands as an anachronistic symbol of our archaic social system where we do not teach of the evils of greed any more.

In fact, some people idolize greed--witness the popularity of Donald Trump's reality television program. Put weapons in the hands of his competitors and you would have gladiators who would be prepared to kill each other to win.

We have a choice: teach children to avoid behaviours we don't want them to have as adults or don't teach them and suffer the ravages that neglect exacts on our communities.

This isn't a hard choice. We simply aren't making it. Instead we watch as social problems get worse, as if our lives are part of a reality TV show we are watching.

Stand up and voice your concerns.

Bill Allin
'Turning It Around: Causes and Cures for Today's Epidemic Social Problems,' striving to help everyone understand what their choices are. Act and be saved or be a spectator and suffer.
Learn more at http://billallin.com/cgi/index.pl