Posted by Akkarin on behalf of Jamie, we thank her for her humorous contribution!
In the Christianity-influenced Western world, it can be easy to see greed as be awful and generosity noble. Imagine if everyone were generous with their flatulence, would we think of them as noble? I should think not. If someone were greedy for knowledge, wouldn’t we call them a studious person? Sure, they might not be very fun at parties, but we wouldn’t call them evil the way we might of someone who is greedy for wealth. Greed and generosity need a balance for each other, but I would also say that they need a context. Writing off greed as wholly evil and generosity as wholly beneficial is like throwing away a box of nails because you prefer screws. Both have an appropriate function, place and time, and knowing when is the whole trick.
I’ve given you an example in the form of a joke, but there are plenty of examples of generosity being a bad thing. Imagine the generosity of an arsonist bent of lighting up the entirety of a neighborhood. Imagine what generosity for verbal harassment would look like. These are not pleasant things. Now imagine a greed for protecting the innocent or a greed for treating the sick and wounded.
The question is, where in our lives do we need to reevaluate greed and generosity? Who in your life could benefit from a little more of your greed and generosity at the right place and time? What holds you back from doing this?
