Greed follows us everywhere. And it never leads to anything better, but tends to become satisfied at the expense of others. I once had a boss, who told me that the objective was that "somebody else does the work and somebody else pays". This may well be a great adage at work or anywhere, if you don't give a hoot about whoever does the work or whoever has to do the paying.

Swami Vivekananda links greed closely to duty. The need to fullfil one's duty is cited as the reason for greed:

How easy it is to interpret slavery as duty — the morbid attachment of flesh for flesh as duty! Men go out into the world and struggle and fight for money or for any other thing to which they get attached. Ask them why they do it. They say, "It is a duty”. It is the absurd greed for gold and gain, and they try to cover it with a few flowers.

What is duty after all? It is really the impulsion of the flesh, of our attachment; and when an attachment has become established, we call it duty. For instance, in countries where there is no marriage, there is no duty between husband and wife; when marriage comes, husband and wife live together on account of attachment; and that kind of living together becomes settled after generations; and when it becomes so settled, it becomes a duty. It is, so to say, a sort of chronic disease. When it is acute, we call it disease; when it is chronic, we call it nature. It is a disease. So when attachment becomes chronic, we baptise it with the high sounding name of duty. We strew flowers upon it, trumpets sound for it, sacred texts are said over it, and then the whole world fights, and men earnestly rob each other for this duty's sake. Duty is good to the extent that it checks brutality. To the lowest kinds of men, who cannot have any other ideal, it is of some good; ...
Swami Vivekananda

When I think of the educational system I was put through, then it is clear what the Swami means about duty and greed being rationalised. We are basically taught that our job in the world is to get as much wealth as possible: it's your duty. And this is promulgated in so many different ways. If we were truly aware of how fragile our lives are, then why would we want to spend our time running after possessions, which we cannot take with us when we die? 

I'm all for being comfortable, but that can be achieved with very little. The thing that needs to be most comfortable, is me, inside, where my feelings are, where the feeling of comfort resides. Getting stuff and putting all your effort into that, covering it up under the guise of duty - I have to feed my family, I have to take care of this and that and them.... - is all BS - you are doing it because in your greed, you think and even believe, that you will be comfortable and at peace with yourself if you have more, more of everything. That is where it really has become a disease. A disease that has led to vast amounts of cruelty, death for countless people just because someone wanted to have something, be it money, land, possessions or even people.

If that describes you, then you are a very sad person completely lost in the delusion that possessions will bring lasting peace and happiness. Please note: it has never happened up till now, and it's not going to happen in the future. Those feelings we so desperately hunt for with our greed, is inside and for that you need nothing more than yourself, together with clarity, thankfulness and empathy. Go for that - it's worth it?

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