Greed

As much as I want to say that greed is a bad thing and that people are good and could support each other without economic incentive, I know that the opposite is true. Without greed, our economy would fall to pieces. We can see through countries trying Communism in the past that this economic strategy is just a failure waiting to happen. (Except China, but come on everyone knows that their "Communism" is a fraud.) Greed is what makes people work harder. If everyone received the same amount of money but some people did not work as hard as others for their pay, everyone would just do the minimum amount of work acceptable. Who would want to go to school for eight years (or more) to be a doctor or lawyer if they were going to be paid the same amount as a sales clerk? No one. It's not worth it.

Greed is not only the backbone of capitalism, it is the motivation for pretty much everything in life. Of course, it is not always called "greed". Sometimes greed is known as "determination" or "striving to be the best". An example of this that we are familiar with is trying to receive college scholarships. Most of us are applying for them now, and I know that I am looking for as many as possible. Without scholarships, college is impossible for me. Does trying to receive as much money for college as I can make me greedy? I don't think so. I think that I have worked hard throughout school and I deserve to be rewarded for this work with the opportunity to continue my education without putting my family into debt. Another example of "greed" can be found in our newest American Hero. When Phelps brought home 8 gold medals from Beijing, was he being "greedy"? Of course not! He was just determined to do the best that he could do to represent our country. You don't share Olympic medals. Just like (I know this is going to sound horrible) a person should not be forced to share money that they work hard to make. This is not to say that people should not be compelled out of the goodness of their hearts to give to those less fortunate. I am a huge believer in charity and volunteer work. It also does not mean that people should just horde all of their money or spend it on ridiculous luxuries, like a $100,000 pizza oven.

If we lived in a perfect world, it would be easy to say that everyone should share what they have. But, unfortunately, life is not a kindergarten class. If people did not look out for their own interests, nothing would be accomplished and no advancements would be made. Greed is a necessary evil in our world because it encourages people to work, and to work harder than others so that they can have the things they desire. This competition creates a more efficient world for all of us to live in.





Relevant Links

1. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JQP/is_369/ai_n6142144
Repetitive, but still pretty good.

2. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/03/greed_ails_us_economy.html
Pretty much the opposite of what I think but you should always read both sides of the story.