Greed Takes It All Away

               I genuinely believe that God created the world with more than enough blessings for people to share, but that does not mean we should be abusive of what it is capable to give. The world surely does not need humans, it can exist on its own but humans cannot exist without it. The resources it has keep us alive and healthy. The world is full of life and because we see its beauty and richness, sometimes we abuse it. Some people become so greedy and corrupt that they are never satisfied with what they have. The sad truth is, when greedy people realize that they can take more, they continuously take and take regardless if they need it or not and if they may cause pain or destruction to anyone in the process. Anyone can become greedy and in the same way anyone can be affected by greed.

             My co-intern and I decided to go to the Holocaust Museum on Sunday afternoon. The museum was huge and spacious, holding so much history. I felt the excitement that I am again in a museum learning about history but at the same time felt anxious because of the fact that it is a Holocaust museum. If I were to describe the Holocaust with one word it would be “disheartening”. Hearing stories of the families and individuals of the Jews who were executed, seeing the appalling pictures of the ways the authority took away the lives of the people who did nothing wrong, and being able to feel as close as possible to the most devastating time in history was frightening.

               Thinking about the monstrous acts of the Germans made me wonder about its root. The word ‘greed’ was the first thing that came to mind. Adolf Hitler’s unnecessary actions toward the Jews were done out of greed. He personifies every aspect of greediness from wanting more power and subjugation to owning properties and money. Greed took away the happy and peaceful lives of the Jews who were part of the Holocaust. Greed took away the innocence of the children whose desires were as simple as to be able to go to school and play outside freely. Greed caused terror and life-long scars to the Jews. Greed took it all away from them it’s a wonder some of them were still able to remain hopeful.

              The article we had to read for this week’s reflections is also tied to greediness. It is about the Standing Rock Pipeline which initially brought hope only to bring more misery to the Standing Rock Sioux and the other Native Americans later on.That the President decided to go on with it despite the man-made climate change the pipeline might cause and the risks that the pipeline poses, exhibits greed. The natives suffered and have endured so much because of the pipeline. Their living condition is dismal, and they often have bad housing, and health problems. It is also tragic that people died because hospital emergency rooms were shut down due to unsafe conditions.

             As much as I am surrounded by power, I am also surrounded by greediness. It is most interesting and challenging to live in Washington DC now where worldwide issues are being thrown in the air. I have somehow observed that some of the president’s actions were driven by greed. It’s sad to see a powerful position being held by someone who is pompous and greedy and whose greed is unabated.

               As the saying goes, “Greed is the root of all evil.” It has not been proven otherwise. There has not been a single time when greed saved a person’s life, when greed turned into something great, and when Donald Trump’s actions seemed significantly good for the country, or at least for its citizens.

               Personally, I think that greedy people will always seek to be satisfied but will never seek satisfaction because being greedy means gaining nothing. It still amazes me that there are resilient people who, despite the bad things that happened to them, do not accept defeat and keep fighting. For all the greedy people we come across, we just need to show compassion. After all, it is what Jesus has always taught us to do, show compassion in any circumstances, even if greed takes it all away. 

Julliane Osias

GBCS EYA Intern 2017

Interfaith Power & Light