A Discourse

A short philosophical discourse on the true nature of greed

I may only be a high schooler, but I have some things to say.

The world often urges us to be the best we can be, in simplistic terms of wealth, of status, of relative importance to those around us. This is built upon the inherent greed of human nature… we will always find ourselves in want of more. Yet this greed can be traced back to its origin, where we may find that it is not greed that drives us, but rather, want of a particular thing which we forfeit every day: the privilege to labour, to live, to laugh, and to love.

The world has blinded us by turning us all towards material possession, yet the most valuable wealth is the one we ignore, merely because we do not understand it, at least not in the way it is meant to be understood: time. In time, a king gains his power, and in time, the king passes away, leaving naught but a temporary legacy labelled as either “good” or “evil.” To what end does he strive for his power, when he loses it all? He may say he strives for satisfaction, Why, then, is he depressed? He has tasted all of the wine in the world and eats the food of the finest chefs, but he has never tasted lasting joy and peace.

He misunderstood his purchase, a most egregious error; he traded his time for wealth, and it cost him his life. For at the end, the rich often feel as if they had no life at all; they were merely an abstract representation of a larger nation’s power, a nation of which they could never be a part. Time is priceless, and must be guarded.

Yet time is not the only thing we lack which drives us, or rather, it is not the root in and of itself; it embodies what our true intentions are: we seek experience. Every human, whether they admit it or not, is driven to experience things lovely and things good; in particular, they wish to experience true peace, true hope, and true love.

Material possessions have distracted us with their glinting nature; gold shines brighter than the brightest love to our eyes, and our eyes readily drive us towards it. For we know we desire something lovely, but we know not what; thus, we find ourselves chasing the outward appearance of loveliness, embracing the internal rot.

They say gold is not corrosive; I say it is. It corrodes our satisfaction. Every ounce we have of it leaves us desiring two more, and yet we continue in our hopeless pursuit, terrified of losing our purpose, our purpose of wealth and power; terrified that if this purpose is lost, then with it, we will lose our very reason for living.

Thus, the wise leave the gold in the mud in which it lays, instead walking onward, following the road to the peaceful farmstead at the end, in which their faith, their family, and their friends reside. For in these things, as long as we experience them, we are at peace; we call them the greatest in the world; we are left in want of nothing more than more time in their presence. Then let it be so. Forfeit your gold, and stop chasing its unachievable vanities; lay down temporary desires, and live.

Author's Note

Thanks!