Greed might rule but it will never satisfy

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Greed might rule but it will never satisfy.

These words popped into my head this afternoon, around 1:15PM. Donald Trump is now president, and he says he is going to put America first. Why does it surprise me that greed rules, that greed as an organizing principle would dominate and ascend to power? It makes perfect sense, and yet I am surprised.

I have been thinking about what makes a person happy; we talk about happiness a good deal in our culture, claiming it, acting it out on social media, even while wondering how to get it. I’m not interested in happiness. What I want is to be at peace, to a live a life that is at peace in the world, with others, and with myself. I don’t mean that I want to avoid conflict, though I don’t choose to antagonize without careful thought. I mean that what I want for myself, and what I hope my children will choose, too, is a life that is bigger than the self.

Greed is inherently self-interested. It is voracious. It is never satisfied. It also happens to be the engine of capitalism as it is currently imagined, and we are therefore caught up in it, whether we like it or not. I am not against trade or entrepreneurship or free markets; I believe, naively you may say, that even business could be run in a way that puts others first. But greed is easier to marshall. It’s in all of us. And our greed isolates us, making it easy to stir up envy, fear, paranoia and blame.

Greed is what we are primed to feel, and how we are taught to live—competing against each other for scarce resources, feasting like gluttons, aiming for the top, winning at any cost, fuelled by our desires, never satisfied.

Never at peace.

How to be at peace?

The answer is simple, not simplistic: focus on the needs of others. Not in a servile way, not in a way that denies your own needs, and not in a way that seeks to control or change others, but with an open heart that is present. Listen. Give your attention. Give what you have. Give your time. Give your energy. Give your talents.

What more could any of us hope for, in this life, than to be present in the life of another? To be invited to share is a gift.

It’s also incredibly easy to do. Think very very small. Think of inviting a neighbour for dinner. Think of going for a walk with a friend. Think of kicking a ball with a kid. Think of what you love to do (to cook, to play soccer, to run, to draw, to sing), and do it. Invite someone else to do it with you.

When our focus turns to others, greed vanishes, and in that moment it has no power over us.

xo, Carrie

Week two: brain/play
Today, this is what I have to offer

3 Comments

  1. Juliet

    That’s beautiful.

    Reply
  2. Kirsteen MacLeod

    I love this thoughtful post – thanks so much!

    For work recently I interviewed a Bay Area lawyer/entrepreneur, Shanti Atkins (named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics in 2014 by the Ethisphere Institute), who is passionate about creating “an ethical business culture.” She said: “Lines are blurring between what we usually consider workplace or corporate issues, and social issues. In future, global corporate communities will be harnessed for the good of the employer, employee, client, and others around the business—which has tangible business results.” The post-greed world!

    Reply
  3. Julie Corey

    …and in that moment it has no power over us.
    I love it!

    Reply

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