Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Random Thoughts on Greed

They say money is the root of all evil. But I have to disagree. If you think about it, there is nothing wrong with having it or wanting to have it. Perhaps it would be more correct to say that the pursuit of money at all cost is the root of all evil. Its pursuit is motivated by greed. Greed is the antithesis of sharing. Sharing is the essence of love. Therefore, money is not the root of all evil, it is greed.

Why am I writing about greed? It is, after all, a negative subject. I guess it is brought about by the continuing saga of the anomalous national broadband deal that has rocked the foundations of the present Philippine presidency. I am appalled by the magnitude of greed our politicians seem to be entrenched in. And to think we are the only predominantly Christian nation in Asia.

The whistle-blower and reluctant hero Jun Lozada says his friend and former boss Rodolfo Neri called Madame President evil. I myself refer to her as the devil in MalacaƱang. Perhaps some would say I am being too harsh on her. But I beg to disagree. As President, she should be the model of all that is good and pure and true. And yet she has shown us that she lies, she cheats, and now, she steals, too. By all accounts, Neri is correct. She is indeed evil.

Why is there so much greed in the world today? Why is there so much evil? How can we combat this? I fear for my children. Now, more than ever, I am determined to instill in them the morals and the values that will make them better human beings. Man by nature is not greedy. Everyone is basically good. Why then do we have people like Gloria and the rest of her kind? Perhaps it is because their parents failed to instill in them the proper values that make us different from animals. This is actually an anguished call to all parents out there! Please, teach your children well. Arm them with the values they need so that in their adulthood they do not turn into the monsters we see around us now. Teach them to love, to share, to be considerate, to be respectful, to be selfless, to be useful to society. More importantly, teach them to choose what is right all the time. If all parents in the world determine to do this, then there is hope for mankind.

8 comments:

Max Coutinho said...

Hey Gigi (yeah, now I know your name lol)!

I agree with you: greed is one of the roots of evil; not money! Money, per se, harms nobody cause we must eat, pay our bills and etc; but wanting more and more and more...that is one of the many trains that lead to evil, the dark side!
Of course greed is not only related with money; we can also link it to power! When one becomes thirsty of power, and does anything to have more and more...that's an expression of greed.

People become greedy because they can't cope with life itself; therefore they focus all their attention on getting more and more and more *nodding*! I call greedy people "the cowards"!

Parents play an important role in transmitting moral values to their kids; and if they engage more in doing this the world will eventually become a better place :)!

This is an important post, Gigi...congratulations for addressing this sensitive issue :)!

Cheers

JK said...

Gigi, I have to agree with you that greed is indeed a poison!

It is ideal that all parents teach their children well from young but it's sad to say that there are still many people out there who care more for money instead of for their family.

However, I'm still afraid that despite all the teachings, the environment would influence the children's behavior. Hopefully not.

This is for you:

http://love4kids.blogspot.com/2008/02/another-valentines-day.html

coolingstar9 said...

Yes, it is true that we need to instill values to our children.
Have a nice day.

Lynda said...

Excellent post and so profoundly true.. if parents could instill the basic values and morals in children, then the world would indeed be a better place... so nice to read your thoughts... :))) take care and blessings...

Anonymous said...

What I totally hate about her is that she blatantly threatens those who opposes her. And I just know that she's behind the killings that happened to those media people.

Hindi lang siya ang greedy, tita. Buong family niya kamo!

Kainis siya talaga...

Emzkie said...

what is the root of greed.. hehehe.. money then. lol. why there are greedy people? because they are not contented and they want more. more than what their neighbors have. there is nothing wrong to own so much or having money, or working so hard for money but doing evil for money is not good. like stealing, corruption, kill somebody for just a couple of cents, dazzled by all the expensive doodads today..a lot of people now a days wants easy life, and easy money. hehehe... blogging is easy money too. lol. but its not greed. hehehe...ano ba yang mga pinagsasabi ko.. napadaan lang ako. lol. ingat! guidance and lots of care and love lang ang kailangan ng mga kids. =) hope ur weekend was great!

wifespeak said...

Thanks for all your comments. Ultimately, it is us moms, wives who will determine the kind of people the world will be populated with. While it is true that the influence of peers and media is a factor, if we arm our children with the proper values, then good will prevail.How's that for women power! If women all over the world unite to create a better breed of people, then evil cannot have a place in our wold.

Amel said...

Yes, it's true...even the Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil.

I LOVE the fact that you're trying to encourage parents to instill moral values and important values in their kids. :-)))