Greed: a weapon of mass destruction

Myths reflect values, problems, and culture, and attempt to provide explanations. One of the most common themes in these myths is greed, and how humans let their greed turn a blessing into a curse. A great example of this occurs in the myth of king Midas. Bacchus grants him a wish, and the king, greedy, asks for wealth beyond compare, making this his curse. He wished that anything he touched turned gold, and this was granted, even his food hardened as gold at his touch. When he realized his mistake, he begged for pardon. “In consternation at the unprecedented affliction, he strove to divest himself of his power; he hated the gift he had lately coveted. But all in vain; starvation seemed to await him. He raised his arms, all shining with gold, in prayer to Bacchus, begging to be delivered from his glittering destruction.” This is an example of how greed has taken people, even in myths of our ancestors, to create their own destruction. When we are given the possibility to acquire power, we always take it without measuring consequences, and without being sure we can control such power and wealth. This repeats in the story of Phaëton. He asks his father for a ride on the chariot, to be able to control it for one night. His father is struck by this and tries to convince him to wish for something different, but unable to deny his first wish if he were to insist. “Look round the world and choose whatever you will of what earth or sea contains most precious—ask it and fear no refusal. This only I pray you not to urge. It is not honor, but destruction you seek. Why do you hang round my neck and still entreat me? You shall have it if you persist;—the oath is sworn and must be kept,—but I beg you to choose more wisely.” As we might expect, Phaëton is ruled by his greed, and changes not his initial wish. This leads to destruction and to his downfall. Through history we have seen how greed has taken humanity into problems, and how people seem to forget that they know this. People are unable to put aside their pride and greed, and most dream with power and wealth before happiness and health. And I can assure that we all have that greedy part inside of us that cries for power, but we must learn to control it for our own benefit. Greed is a powerful weapon, that used correctly may be harmless but if used irresponsibly, it results in chaos. Greed can help us achieve goals, might help us obtain things good for us and others, if only we knew how to control greed and when to stop. But humans being far from perfect, lack this knowledge, and therefore greed in our hands is a devastating combination. Think about the consequences of anything before making decisions, and act with humility, which will provide you with even greater things than greed, things such as knowledge and wisdom. I leave it to your own though to consider how greed takes a role on your life, and think if it is gaining too much power over you.