Greed Is Good

Greed has many faces. Greed for knowledge has led us to the moon and beyond. Greed for money and power brought about the industrial revolution in Europe and led men to venture into deep seas in search of hinterland. Greed captures the very essence of human evolution. It underscores the ruthlessness of our ambitions and the boundlessness of our abilities. It makes us desire, strive, plan, execute, and enjoy success. It gives wings to ideas and wheels to achievements.

History stands testimony to the fact that societies which have tapped into the productive power of greed have surged ahead in the evolution cycle, and those which failed have perished into oblivion. The greatest inventions of our times have not come out of selfless acts of charity, but out of intense greed for knowledge and power. Einstein did not come up with the theory of relativity as an act of charity. Henry Ford did not revolutionise the automobile industry to gain sympathies from the underprivileged. Greed for a better life has enabled millions of people to come out of debilitating poverty. Without it, growth of human prosperity will come to a grinding halt.

Greed does not discriminate. Its nature to compete does not change across age, gender, class and nationality. A common man’s greed is as potent as a Warren Buffet’s when combined with the same level of passion and dedication.

Greed does not carry a moral compass. Our moral corruption is not a by-product of greed, but of our feeble conscience. Atrocities have been committed in the name of love and honour as well. Pages of history are strewn with instances where strong desires combined with weak morality have resulted into devastating outcomes.

Greed is not only good but it is also indispensable. It is the basis of reward system in organisations, evaluation criteria in academia, and a motivating factor for participating in this debate, not just for me but also for those sitting on the other side of the fence.