Thursday, April 14, 2011

GREED IS GOOD!

Step into the Garden

The word from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

I am a child of God, but if I am wise enough to correctly evaluate my own heart, I am as greedy as anyone. Had I not been ‘converted,’ and had circumstances dictated a financial career for me, I may have made Gordon Gekko’s greed pale in comparison.

I can’t think of “thousands of pieces of silver and gold,” without thinking of our current society’s passion for state-run lotteries. Before the state made them legal, they were operated by the underworld, by gangsters. Back then, they were called, “The Numbers Racket.” Running numbers, so called, was a federal crime. It became illegal because it took criminal advantage of people in poverty, who, even though chances of winning were infinitesimal, grasping for riches, would pay from their poverty to win big, thus impoverishing themselves even more. Homes were destroyed. Families went unsupported. Children went unfed.

It is legal today owing to the fact that the revenue of the lotteries is shared -- supposedly. It goes back to the citizens and residents in the form of welfare and infrastructure. Arguably, without the lottery, states would tax even more than they do. So, today, lotteries are perceived as beneficial, and still, someone, usually someone who has no concept of what to do with instant wealth and riches, always wins. “You can’t win unless you play,” has become the mantra of those who indulge – even though the possibilities of winning are infinitesimal, even if one were to live a hundred lifetimes.

It is certain that those who purchase lottery “tickets,” are not doing so for altruistic reasons. They are likely not conscious of where the money goes. It is too irrelevant to care. They want to win. They are tired of poverty. They want relief. The thought of millions placed at their disposal is just too much. “You can’t win unless you play.” So they play . . . and play . . . and play.

Philosophically, perhaps Gekko was right when he said, “Greed is good!” After all, the lottery provides outcomes of state-monitored blessings in the form of those things mentioned above. It is hard to perceive this as “bad.”

The dictionary defines greed as, “excessive or rapacious desire.”

Now then, comes the kicker! Do I have an excessive, or rapacious desire for the Word of God? If the psalmist is to be taken at his word, perhaps he did. He was a king, however. He had more gold in his coffers than he could count. Easy for him to say.

But what about me? It seems there is never enough to pay the bills. Finances are a continual, dripping burden. I experience a constant pressure just to survive! Can I honestly say that I am as greedy for the Word of God? Or more important, does my desire for the Word of God exceed my desire for fiscal survival?

I don’t know how to correctly evaluate my heart. I think I’ll go buy a lottery ticket. Only costs a buck . . . maybe I’ll get two. Maybe I’ll take my Bible.

1 comment:

  1. yup.

    lots of research that shows(with animals and people): if they are sated they will be risk adverse. when they are deprived, they are more likely to be risk prone.

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