The Essence of Greed

So I think that I've finally figured out greed, its nature, and its complex workings. But before I begin, there are something’s that you, the read, must be aware of. Bhutan is a country just north of India, and if you don't know where that is close this page rite now before I cyber- smack you. It is the only country in the world where the forest cover is growing, and the king has proclaimed that if the forest cover ever falls below 60%, all logging would stop. It is a heavily Buddhist society that shuns the desire for material possessions, such as cars, stereos, etc. In fact, Bhutan has gone to such great lengths to keep their culture pure from the commerce and economics of the rest of the world that they have gone from using GDP, to GDH- Gross Domestic Happiness. And I am dead serious. The king of Bhutan has mandated that they use Gross Domestic Happiness. This means that the wealth of the country will be measured by how happy the people are, and how satisfied they are with their lives.Now, that was just some background information about Bhutan that you need to know to understand my examples. Now let me get to my point. You see, in Bhutan most places don't have any running water, no television, no radio, no cars, no computers. They have only what they need to survive, and for fun they make their own toys and such. (Actually, they do archery for fun there. They have INSANE archers there that are accurately hitting targets much farther away than Olympic targets) And the great thing is, they are happy. They are perfectly content with basically nothing, and that my friends, is a beautiful thing. Now, let's look at the antithesis of Bhutan- America (because you know how much I hate America). America is an extremely capitalistic society. Our entire economy is based on free trade and business, which really is just a form of greed. Now, don't think of greed as all bad. Greed is what drives us to excel in life; it is what in fact keeps us alive. It is when Greed grows out of control that it becomes a problem. Anyway, back to my point. In America, we are raised around all these possessions. Buy This! Sale Here! Two for One! The Latest Gadget That Does Nothing Useful Or Practical For An Obscenely Large Price!! Because we have grown up in this society, we naturally want the newest and best thing on the market. It's not our fault, its human nature. However, if we are trying to attain true peace as many eastern philosophies define it- not longing for any material possessions, then we are basically fucked. I don't care who you are, if you have grown up in America, or any other capitalistic country, then you want the latest computer, or the fastest car, or the biggest SUV with the lowest MPG. And that is simply because you know it exists, and you know how much more convenient it is. If there is one thing that I think everyone can agree with me on, it is that people in this world are lazy. And notice I said the world, not just America. We're like a bunch of walking comatose zombies, who drink oil and eat trees. I am meandering off topic again, I apologize. You see, I think that it is simply your knowledge and familiarity to convenience that makes you want more of it. Once you realize that you don't have to do so much work, you will always desire for whatever it is that does the work for you.In Bhutan, however, people are much happier as a population than any place in America. People there are as content as possible with their minimalist lives. And I feel that this is because they have refused to embrace modern technology. They have not let themselves fall victim to convenience and laziness, and they continue to do things by hand as their ancestors did it. Most of the people in Bhutan have never used a computer, never driven a car, and never even heard of an ipod. Because they are not familiar with all the things that exist in the world, they feel they have everything there is to have, and they are perfectly happy with it. Unfortunately, it seems the seeds of greed are so thoroughly sown into the world that they are even infiltrating Bhutan. Cyber Café’s and television is slowly growing in Bhutan. Some cities even have cars that people use regularly. Their once innocent happiness may soon be gone forever.Now, the thought of happiness through giving up all material possessions creates a bit of a paradox. People are obviously happy in Bhutan with nothing but the clothes on their back, a social ideal that society should strive to achieve. But, without the embracing of modern technology, medical science would not have progressed the way they did. Millions more would be dead from diseases that are now easily cured through medication. The fact that many of these diseases came from advances in technology, and that science is trying to clean up its own mess shall be overlooked for now. So we have two worlds that can exist. One in which people are truly self-less, where people no longer desire the latest gadget, simply because there was no gadget to begin with. People will be content with whatever it is that they have. People will also die from epidemics that would otherwise be easily avoided through modern medicine. The other world is much like America, a capitalist society driven by greed. People have the drive to be greater than anyone else, because they what they get in return will allow them to satisfy their current desire, whatever new gadget it is that they want. In this world, people may never truly be happy. While there may be a façade of contentment, people will always be longing for the newer, faster, better, more. But, we will also have those few people who truly want to help one another. The people who will embrace modern technology and pioneer new methods of treating cancer, of curing Parkinson’s, and any other ailment that has so plagued humanity.It is my firm belief that these two worlds can never co-exist. Bhutan is slowly assimilating into the rest of the world. Buying in or selling out, however you want to look at it, but Bhutan is slowly giving up their ideals to become one with the rest of the world. The natural human desire for more will always overpower any other ideals, and the only way to subdue that desire is to convince yourself that it does not exist. To tell yourself “This is all I have. This is all there is. There is nothing more.”So now we are left with a choice. We must choose either to give up the material world in search of an eastern form of happiness, or choose to face the problems created by greed and capitalism.