Overcoming the destructive forces of greed
The great Bengali poet, writer, philosopher and social reformer, Rabindranath Tagore, visited Penang and the rest of then-Malaya several times in the early 20th Century, while on longer journeys to East Asia.
Apr 24, 2021
By Anil Netto
The great Bengali poet, writer, philosopher and social reformer, Rabindranath Tagore, visited Penang and the rest of then-Malaya several times in the early 20th Century, while on longer journeys to East Asia.
During one of his voyages, Tagore reflected on the beauty of the natural world. But upon his arrival in Penang, as he surveyed the bustling activity at Penang port, the poet could not help but ponder over the greed that plagues humanity.
What was it that saddened him? Maybe it was a premonition of what the world would be like a hundred years from his day, i.e. our present era.
In one of his writings, Tagore reflected:
“The greed of gain has no time or limit to its capaciousness. It’s one object is to produce and consume. It has pity neither for beautiful nature nor for living human beings. It is ruthlessly ready, without a moment’s hesitation, to crush beauty and life.”
How prophetic those words were, written all those years ago.
Greed. Pure unadulterated greed. This is at the bottom of what ails society. And power – not to serve the common good but to profit from it.
The dictionary definition of the word greed reveals more: “an intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food.” Two words jump out here. It is not just a simple desire to possess more than what we have. The desire is intense and selfish - uncontrollable.
Those who succumb to greed do not look at what kind of impact their selfish desire will have on society or the common good.
If the forests have to be felled to increase profits for a small group, if land has to be ravaged so that vested interests can benefit, so be it. If ministers and elected representatives have to be paid huge salaries, allowances and perks to buy their support, so be it.
If company directors are paid fees and salaries that are many times more than the average workers’ pay, who cares about rising income inequality and families struggling to put food on the table?
If shoddy materials are used in construction, who cares about public safety being compromised?
If lorries belch out smoke and bulldozers cut down forests, increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, who cares about climate change — as long as bank accounts are filled up?
If security guards, cleaners, drivers and delivery personnel have to work long hours to earn a decent income, who cares as long as their companies reap hefty profits?
It is greed too that drives people to take shortcuts to wealth — and what easier way than by indulging in corruption? The greed that has swamped much of the world has also taken its toll on our land.
Even before Jesus entered the temple, he knew he had to speak up against how even worship and sacrifice had been subverted. The religious leaders then were making use of religion to live comfy lifestyles while they burdened the people with all sorts of religious rules, regulations – and punishments.
The faithful had to observe rituals, pay taxes and maintain ‘purity’ to be considered a ‘practising’ member of the faithful. The essence of the faith — justice, mercy, love and compassion — were neglected.
All the while, the leaders of the Temple wallowed in comfort and were even perceived to be corrupt. Even the Temple priests came largely from one family which was happily – and sometimes not too happily – collaborating with the Roman oppressors.
Jesus saw right through this rank hypocrisy and called it out in dramatic fashion.
If greed is extended to corporate greed, then we can see why some psychologists have analysed corporations as psychotic or psychopathic. Corporations exist solely to maximise profits and shareholders’ wealth. They are narcissistic, lacking in empathy towards the ecosystem, the society around them and, often, even their own workers.
Many of these corporate predators couldn’t care less about the impact of raw material depletion, low wages, lax environmental standards, toxic effluents and emissions, and pollution and carbon emissions. Some try to evade taxes or minimise their taxes through all kinds of tricks. Not that the tax rates are high – as taxes for the wealthy and corporate taxes are being pushed downwards, leaving public coffers drier.
All that matters to most companies is the bottom line, with sometimes just a cursory nod to ‘corporate social responsibility’, perhaps to placate a guilty conscience or indulge in some greenwashing.
Meanwhile, the forests are cleared, the hills butchered or flattened, the orange soil clearly visible, gushing down as a muddy torrent during downpours. Our rivers and seas grow murky and polluted, while precious fishing waters are destroyed by unnecessary land reclamation.
Often directors are not held personally responsible for the damage their companies inflict on society. What’s more, their salaries, fees and other perks are usually many times more than the average worker’s income.
As Tagore observed succinctly, “The newer people of this modern age are more eager to amass than to realise.”
In the Old Testament, the people of Israel were supposed to be the alternative model to the greed and ambition displayed in the construction of the Tower of Babel. That Tower, the first mega-project, was a symbol of state domination and power, of humanity trying to act as gods, reaching out to the heavens.
Clearly, the unsustainable system we know is breaking down around us. When greed, selfishness, corruption, oppression and abuse of power rule the day, it is only by turning to the love, compassion and justice that we can salvage Creation, which is now groaning ever louder.
We are so used to thinking a political leader will save us from this mess, just as some of Jesus’ followers thought he would turn out to be a political messiah.
But in Scriptures we see how God did not raise Moses up to replace Pharaoh. Instead, he inspired an alternative community to carry on his vision of a just world that is in harmony with itself and with its maker, just as Jesus left behind a band of faithful disciples to be the salt of the earth.
This is the challenge we face today as well – we need to shun the destructive forces of greed that threaten to engulf the world in darkness and walk along the brave new path – not just as passive sojourners but as active participants of the new Kingdom that Jesus proclaimed.
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