Greed

The Bible classifies the seven deadly sins – greed, envy, sloth, wrath, gluttony, pride and lust – as the characteristics of people which will lead to unhappiness. One particular sin evident in our world today is greed. Greed is defined as an excessive desire to possess wealth or goods. The greed that exists in our world leads people to unhappy and selfish lives. Greed is evident through individual people, corporate companies and in our governments.

The desire to be successful and happy naturally exists in all people. Success is often associated with the acquisition of wealth and material goods. When an individual feels that money and goods will bring them happiness in their lives, they will become more and more determined to possess them. The good intention of wanting to be happy can lead a person to become greedy. When the desire for happiness and success turns to greed, the end result is unhappiness. In many cases the greed of an individual can lead to the unhappiness of those around them. An example of this is a woman named Imelda Marcos was the wife of the Philippine president starting in 1965. The Philippines were mostly filled with people who were too poor to even afford shoes. Marcos, on the other hand, could make as many purchases as she pleased; and she used this to her advantage. She owned extravagant clothing and jewelry; owning over 1000 pairs of shoes and 15 mink coats (Holsworth). Meanwhile, areas in the Philippines were unclean, unsafe and deeply in poverty. If the money used for Marcos' unnecessary purchases were used to help these people, she could of made an impact on the well-being and happiness of many people. Using money for grand luxuries while your country struggles to make ends meet is an extre...

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... a positive affect on their society. For those in high positions of power, such as leaders of corporations and governments of nations, it is equally important (if not more so) for their greed to be kept in check, as their actions affect millions, possibly billions of people.

Works Cited

Holsworth, Jacob. “Investigations: Imeldarabilia: A Final Count” Time Magazine. Feb. 23, 1987

Poniewozik, James. “The Morning After: One in a Million” Jan. 23, 2008

Collins, Jones. “Nike, Adidas urged to do more for workers”. Toronto Star. Aug. 3, 2002

Zakaluzny, Roman. “City staff take stand against 'sweat shop' products” Ottawa Business Journal, Vol. 12 , Issue 25, p4. 03/26/2007

Miss Manchisi. “Factors that brought the Second World War” T.A. Blakelock, Oakville, Ontario. April 2010. Lecture

“Controversial G8 Summit spending ” Canadian Press, The 24 Jun. 2010; A3. Print