For me the differences between greed and passion are that greed has no purpose other than to acquire more of the object in question (cars, money, houses), nor does it have bounds.
With passion, a person goes after something they love; they want it because they love it, not simply to have more of it. When they get enough, they stop and enjoy what they have.
On the contrary, a greedy person does not stop acquiring objects, which brings forth the epitaph megalomaniac.
When considering the question "Is greed good?" we are viewing the word greed through the qualities it possesses rather than the whole meaning which adds vital dimensions to the discussion. For example,
- Is a greedy person is passionate? Yes. Is a greedy person is passionate about acquiring? Yes. So far so good. Is a greedy person passionate about what he is acquiring? Perhaps not.
- Does a greedy person have goals? Yes. Are goals a necessary part of the personal development credo we all subscribe to? Yes. So greed is good because it advocates something we all believe in? No, because:
a) Goals should have an end-result.
b) Goals should have a purpose.
c) Goals must be moderated by the world. (as opposed to dreams)
d) Goals must be, in the end, for the common good, ethically speaking.
- Will a greedy person eschew ethics to achieve goals/acquire objects? If the person is greedy enough, yes.
In general, it is a muddled arguer who tries to separate passion and greed completely. Certainly a greedy person can be passionate, be it even passionate about the acquiring of the objects, passionate about the chase. Still, passion does not equal greed. And greed is not good.
[Thus far in this post I have neglected to mention the negative (not as in good/bad negative, more in the mathematical sense) definition of greed, i.e. refusing to share. Taking that into account adds a lot to the idea that greed is not good.] |