With the cooperation of Carla Fernandez and Fernando Mendez
Greed, like many things in life, can have a good side and a dark side. It can be a work propeller in the culture and society we live in. Nevertheless, it corrupts our identity. Is the economic benefit worth losing oneself?
Nowadays, things have changed. We allow things like money or pleasure rule our behavior in such a strong way that something considered a deadly sin such as pride is now a normal human behavior. In this progressive culture, greed is accepted and even pursued. Why is wanting a little more benefit for oneself bad? After all, in the economic environment it is a motivation factor that contributes to success. Nobody in the market will let somebody else make money and just passively allow it, which would be basically communism. While it is commonly thought that greed crushes the poor, we could say that the poor are also being greedy with those who are poorer, as there is always someone worse. For this reason, greed is a necessary evil in terms of economic decisions in the society, and it is a fact that it has allowed some territories to become more powerful. If we follow this thread of thought, greed is somewhat good in the economic system, as it allows the system to drive progress.
However inside everyone’s heart, we all feel like it is not something so desirable. First of all, greed is a poison for the soul: it harms our internal dimension. Take Gollum[1] as an example, where greed and ambition consumed him to such extend that he could no longer remember his 
true identity. He embodies greed, and his love towards the ring he called «precious» corrupted his heart to the point where his mind cracked in two: a good Smeagol and bad Gollum. Many people today resemble Gollum, taking money or fame as their «precious», falling deep into their selfishness. «Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.«[2] This never-ending search for richness is never found, and we end up broken and alone.
In today’s world, people do not look at inner values anymore. We take for granted what we already have and desire that which is an excess. This misdirection of ambition and desire leads to greed. Relationships are about giving and taking, this is a natural human behavior. We like to share and to give as much as to take. But when we let evil come our way and taunt us with beautiful promises of immeasurable benefits, we change to taking and taking. But those benefits are not real in the long run, because the cost of losing your identity is much higher and not worth it.
To conclude, «Note that it is the love of money, not money itself that creates evil in our lives. Money alone has no power, but we give it all the power it has.«[3]
[1] Character from Lord of the Rings, once called Smeagol.
[2] Quote from Erich Fromm
[3] Quote from allaboutgod.com
Ray of Wisdom 