Greed's

No one starts out perfect. But everyone starts out differently. You may have been a baby with the utmost loving and caring parents. You could have been born into a rich family. Or you may have neither, just... in the middle, or under.

When I was young, I had a lot of complaints about my parents. For not letting me drink carbonated drinks, for limiting my time of video games, and so forth. My friend's parents, on the other hand, let him do as he wished. Both families had compassionate parents, who loved their children dearly. I knew this, but a part of me was jealous. Why can't my parents be like his parents?

As I reflect on the petty arguments I had with my parents, most (if not all) were out of greed. I expected, no, wanted more from them. Sometimes, more than they could give. As mentioned before, I always wanted my parents to provide me with everything my friends were provided with from their own parents. My greed for everything stemmed into jealousy, and the only solution to mitigate it was to simply ask my parents for it. When they tried to reason me out of my greed, agitation sparked. There were a few instances in which the spark flamed enough to cause a tantrum, but most resulted in a brief flash of the recurring thought. Why can't my parents be like his parents?

Greed should not be exaggerated. Many stories dramatize greed: King Midas, A Christmas Carol, and such forth. They make it blatantly obvious to the readers that a certain character is greedy, and they fall into despair, only to emerge out when they realize their greed. Such stories end with a resolution that greed "is a curable disease." Reality is different. Once you hit rock bottom, it's hard to get up. There are countless stores about successful people who had once hit that bottom. There are also countless untold stories of people who didn't.

Greed should not be underestimated. The truth is, greed is subtle. It is sneaky. It is cunning. Once it reaches you, it is difficult to wrestle out of its grasp. You may see someone as a greedy individual (or selfish), but you never see yourself as greedy. The prime danger of greed, to many, is the loss of self control.

Ironically, greed is a necessity. Not every form of greed is bad, depending on the context. After all, greed motivates us. Our greed, desire, to live a more comfortable life encourages us to work. It drives us to develop as a species, for instance, the scientific advancements. Aren't scientific inventions used to satisfy our greed for a more pleasant life? Capitalism, the economic foundation of many countries, relies on one's greed.

Most importantly, we learn to mature and appreciate through a moderate quantity of greed. After every bitter argument with my parents, I run the fight in my head countless times. What if I said "this" instead of "that?" What if I didn't shout? Why do I even need "that?" I would regret words that I said, and the words that I didn't say. I would regret my actions. I would regret being greedy. As these regrets accumulate, one can become either sensitive, or insensitive to them. That is a path one should decide to take. If one grows to be sensible and truly understand their regrets, they have taken a step towards being even more mature. They may, in the end, grow to appreciate what they have, expelling the greed that looms over. No matter what, however, greed is a cycle; it will always return, and it is up to you, your mind, and those whom you depend upon, to improve from it.