View source for Greed and materialism

= Overview =

One of the strongest [[The animal nature of humans|animal natures]] humans have is greed, the desire to accumulate and to value things we possess more than our [[Kindness and respect|kindness to others]] and [[Strong work ethic|what we create]].

The quest for accumulation is woven into almost every aspect of modern society and in times of stability does not [[What makes humans happy|make people happy]].

Like all [[The animal nature of humans|animal natures]] humans can be raised to not be greedy, almost all religions reject greed and materialism as core precepts.

= State sanctioned inequality =

Leaders over history have supported social controls such as religions that reject greed because those in power want the population to [[Inequality is the goal|have and crave for little]].

= The new paradigm =

With peoples commitment to traditional religions faltering, modern society now [[Bred to be lazy consumers|encourages greed and materialism]] as a way to keep the population powerless. If goal of most of the population is to achieve meaningless things they are too busy to revolt.

= Personal relationships =

Entering into a defined relationship with another person is a possessive act, whether a sexual partner or through marriage, it is a way of saying this person now belongs to me. In the case of [[Family|marriage]] this can be possession that is hard to escape from.

= Related concepts =

* [[Strong work ethic]]
* [[Education of children]]
* [[Education of community members]]

= Related reasonings =

* [[What makes humans happy]
* [[Good vs Evil]]
* [[Bred to be lazy consumers]]
* [[Inequality is the goal]]

[[Category:Reasonings]]